Stoic Maulolo On Petone & McBain Magic

Lester Maulolo running freely for Petone in a recent Swindale Shield match against Ories. On Saturday Petone hosts HOBM for the McBain Shield. Photo: Kinetic Images.

• By Adam Julian

Lester Maulolo wryly laughs. “If the body still works, I might as well use it.”

On Saturday, the Petone midfielder will line up for his 93rd Premier appearance and sixth McBain Shield against Hutt Old Boys Marist, the 2025 Jubilee Cup champions and second-placed 2026 Swindale Shield team with a 7-3 record.

“I should have played a dozen McBains by now,” mourned Maulolo. “Basically, the right side of my body works; the left is buggered.”

The injury misery started in Year 12 at St Patrick’s College Silverstream when he missed a season after damaging the rotator cuff in his left shoulder. He later repeated that injury, tore his left knee twice, and suffered hamstring, calf, and head complaints. He missed nearly a handful of years of rugby.

Yet with 41 premier tries and four McBain Shield wins, Maulolo remains one of the most formidable players in the capital. Petone centurion and head coach Carne Green even suggested Maulolo should push for a place in the Wellington Lions NPC roster.

“That’s not a priority right now,” Maulolo said.

“Why did I keep going? A love of the game, I guess. With each injury, I’ve gotten better at recovering and coming back confident in my ability to perform. I love playing alongside my best friends. The great thing about this Petone team is that there are no egos. It’s a good balance of youth and experience, and we’re all enjoying our footy.”

Regaining the McBain Shield from the Eagles, who won the 2025 encounter 30-25, will almost certainly earn the Villagers a 16th Swindale Shield title. Petone enjoys a six-point lead with a 9-1 record at the top of the standings with two rounds remaining after Saturday. They have scored the most points and conceded the fewest. They have won their last seven consecutive games and passed 50 points in five of those.

Lester Maulolo scores against Northern United in their recent match up on Porirua Park 2.

“Our forwards deserve a lot of those scores,” acclaimed Maulolo.

“Our scrum and lineout is the strongest it’s been for a long time. While Hutt will have a size advantage over us, I trust our forwards to be physical, get us over the gain line, and mix it up if they have to.”

“Braith Ingram, that man is unreal, a ball of muscle.  I can’t believe he hasn’t got a professional contract.”

Highlanders and Billy Wallace Best & Fairest Award winner (2024), Stanley Solomon, is a returning professional who alternates seamlessly between first-five-eighth and fullback. Maulolo’s old St Pats Silverstream teammates Jarrod “Rampage” Adams and Losi Filipo can cover both midfield spots and the wings currently occupied by prolific youngsters William Davis and Wesley Faitele.

“Stanley is such a smart player. He could probably run it every time, but he uses his boot intelligently. William and Wesley are absolutely rapid, and JG, Jarrod, Tom Carter, and Losi have been playing for years. In big games, experience counts,” Maulolo said.

“Outside of a Jubilee Cup final or Old Timers’ Day, McBain is the biggest game of the season for us. There’s always a buzz around the club, a bigger crowd, and Hutt is an extremely good team. It comes down to making the fewest mistakes, maintaining good field position, winning moments, and staying cool under pressure. Even if one of us is struggling, it’s one of those games anyone can win.”

Petone have won 64 of the 91 McBain Shield matches, but 40 of those games have been decided by seven points or fewer. Furthermore, Hutt has won the game 14 times since 2000.

A sturdy defender, competent distributor, and powerhouse runner, Maulolo can single-handedly cut opponents to threads. Among his most notable highlights are appearing in every game in 2015 and 2016, including an unforgettable 27-23 win in McBain, where future Tongan international Viliami Fine bagged a hat-trick. Maulolo even played one game for Wellington in 2016, a 54-31 loss to Taranaki at Hnry Stadium, where future All Black Stephen Perofeta scored a hat-trick from fullback.

In 2017, Maulolo ranked among the top five in the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest Standings, scoring a memorable hat-trick in a 43-32 win over Upper Hutt and a try in the 49-31 McBain triumph. Following a spell with Taradale and the Hawke’s Bay Academy, he helped Petone win the 2022 Swindale Shield and make their first Jubilee Cup final since 2005. In 2026, he has played five games and scored three tries.

Cheering on the Baldwin Asphalt employee on Saturday will be his partner of 15 years, Jaydah.

“We’ve been together since school. She’s a manager at Silverstream Pharmacy. She always has the right treatments when I’m sore or down,” Maulolo laughed.

“I finally found the courage to ask her to marry me this year. She said yes. It’ll have to wait until the end of the season.”

Above: Maulolo scores this try above against Norths in 2022.

Below: Maulolo scores this try against MSP in 2015 (credit Holden Bros. Media).

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Previous story with Waylon Tuhoro-Robinson at Hutt Old Boys Marist:

Mana, McBain, Winner, Waylon Tuhoro-Robinson