Lealofi to play his 100th match for Wainuiomata

Greg Lealofi is celebrating 100 games for Wainuiomata this weekend when they tackle the Upper Hutt Rams in Round Three of the bucqui Jubilee Cup at Maidstone Park.

The local flanker was captain of the St. Pat's Silverstream First XV in 2008 and could well have been an Marist St Pat's man. Marist legend Kevin Horan was very keen to acquire Lealofi's services.

"MSP tried pretty hard to get me and I was tempted to go. They were the Jubilee Cup champions and are a great club. Wainui was struggling at that time, but I wanted to be loyal to my roots and knew if we were patient we could built something," Lealofi recalls.

Lealofi made his premier debut against Oriental Rongotai in 2009. Wainuiomata was beaten 26-8 and was later regulated to the Hardham Cup. In 2010 Wainuiomata dropped down again, but at least won the consolation prize beating Avalon 31-10 in the final, Kane Gush scored two tries.

"In my first year we had seven or eight Wellington Colts. It was also a very family orientated club and when times are tough you want to be around your family. I knew we could turn the corner if we stayed together," Lealofi says.

In the 2014 Premier squad of 28 players 20 were a brother, cousin or uncle of each other! That extraordinary togetherness eventually resulted in the improvement Lealofi desired.

In 2011 Lealofi scored a try as Wainui beat MSP 44-27 for the first time at Evans Bay Park.

"That game really stands out because MSP are a benchmark and it was one of the club's first wins against them," Lealofi says.

In 2012 Wainui made the Jubilee Cup semi-finals for the first time and two years later made the final narrowly losing to Hutt Old Boys' Marist. Lealofi recalls the 2014 season with a great deal of fondness.

"We had a really big pack that year and turned William Jones Park into a bit of a fortress. Ben Tupuola won the Best and Fairest. We were able to beat most teams up front and we had pace in the backs too," Lealofi recalls.

"The build up to the final was amazing. The whole community rallied behind it and though it was disappointing to lose there was a real sense of pride in what we achieved."

Lealofi has played for Wellington B, Samoa Sevens and had a brief spell in Counties Manukau. He says he still desires a crack at professional rugby, but playing well for Wainuiomata is his solitary focus at the moment.

"Our results have been a bit up and down, but that's a reflection of the competition. It's really even. I think we have the team with the goods, but you have to turn up on the day," Lealofi stresses.

By day Lealofi installs fire alarms and is an occasional DJ. He enjoys spending time with his partner and family, especially his partner's niece Iyla Rose. He is reluctant to identify the toughest opponent he has faced because there are "so many" but Whetu Henry, Isaac O'Connor and Mateaki Kafatolu are three players that are particularly challenging.

Lealofi's blazer will be presented to him at the William Jones Park club rooms after the game on Saturday.