Not that the veteran fullback was overly concerned at the prospect of losing out to Richie McCaw in the pursuit of Sean Fitzpatrick's record of 92 test appearances.
Muliaina and the All Blacks skipper start the five-test end of year tour on 89 caps, and the 30-year-old figured McCaw would be first to the landmark.
"He's probably got a better chance than me," Muliaina smiled.
"Richie's still got the edge, it's hard for me to mow Ted's (Graham Henry) lawns when we're over in Hong Kong."
McCaw and Muliaina will start Saturday's fourth and final Bledisloe test against the Wallabies at Hong Kong Stadium, and presumably the first leg of the Grand Slam attempt at Twickenham next weekend.
"It's nice to be able to get pretty close," Muliaina said.
"For both if us it will be a great achievement, there's still a long way to go."
Although an established member of the All Blacks since his debut in the last loss to England in 2003, Muliaina admitted he was still gratified to be on this trip.
After requesting and being granted a delayed start to the Super 14, Muliaina's campaign with the Chiefs was dogged by thumb and calf injuries.
Israel Dagg impressed in the June test against Ireland, so much so there were suggestions Muliaina might be surplus to requirements.
But Graham Henry stayed faithful and recalled him for the second test against Wales in Hamilton and since then Dagg had to reinvent himself as a wing.
Muliaina appreciated the vote of confidence from the All Black selectors after a challenging Super 14.
"To be fair I've probably had a few periods this year where things weren't going too well and I was thinking where do I go from here?
"I had a few doubts but I got out, trained hard and got backing from the coaches.
"I'm pretty stoked the way things have gone," he said before reflecting on his career.
"I never thought I'd get this far. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe I've played so many test matches."
Muliaina was originally excused from provincial duty for Waikato but requested to play two games, time enough to have prime him for a trans-Tasman clash he expects to be typically hard-fought.
"We've got to get up mentally and make sure we're right," he said.
"This is not dead rubber, we want to start our tour on a good note."
And although the All Blacks have won the last 10 Bledisloe Cup tests, Muliaina was taking nothing for granted against an unpredictable backline.
"You try and learn and analyse their game as much as you can but there is that unpredictability they have as well.
"You want to go in there with the knowledge they do certain things but they are constantly changing things. They're not as predictable as they were in the past."
The All Blacks are also reviewing a winning formula that has so far delivered 15 straight victories against all opponents.
"During the Tri-Nations we didn't change our strategies too much so a lot of the last month or so we've gone back to the drawing board making sure we've got different options.
"When you go through the Tri-Nations and play as many games as we do all the teams are analysing each other. It's a matter of going back and analysing, making sure you're not making wholesale changes in things you do but also tweaking a few things you can do better."
