MELBOURNE Storm star Suliasi Vunivalu has risen from a life of hardship where, at times, daily meals were just tea and cassava.
Proud mum Kalesi Vunivalu is still trying to come to terms with her son’s rugby league achievement in the NRL competition in Australia and thanked the Almighty for their change in fortune.
In his rookie season, Vunivalu is already raising eyebrows with 16 tries in 10 games.
With eight games remaining, the former Lelean Memorial School student is on track to break the record set by Australian dual international Israel Folau of 21 tries in a rookie season.
As Times Sport interviewed Kalesi at their family home yesterday, the 44-year-old was emotional as she recalled the struggles and the heartaches faced by her family during Vunivalu’s early childhood days.
Kalesi could not control her emotion as tears filled her eyes as she recalled her son’s humble beginnings.
She said the Melbourne Storm rugby league rising star only played soccer during his primary school days and she never imagined her son would accomplish such a feat.
“Au sega sara ga ni vabauta ni na yacova tu na vanua ya o Suli. O koya e tuberi cake mai e na dua na bula dredre e na gauna e se gone kina, ni keirau sega ni cakacaka ruarua vakaveiwatini ka tu na neirau i tavi me keirau vakani iratou na lima na luvei i keirau (I never thought Suli will reach this far. We struggled a lot to make ends meet and being unemployed it was difficult to support our five children),” said Kalesi.
“So na gauna keitou sega ni dau kana, so na gauna keitou sa gunuti tavioka tu ga ia au vakavinavinaka vua na Kalou e na nona i tuvatuva (Sometimes we had nothing to eat while sometimes we just had tea and cassava for most meal times but we are thankful to the Almighty God for His plan).”
(Ni’u dau saravi Suli ni qito e na TV au dau sega ni tarova noqu luluvu ni nanuma lesu na gaunisala dredre e muria mai.)
“Its an emotional experience every time I watched him played on TV as i always recalled his humble upbringing.”
Kalesi said through his son’s rugby league contract, Vunivalu always sent money for the family.
(Levu na gauna sa dau veivuke vakalevu o Suli ka dau vakau I lavo mai vale ka sa mai vukea vakalevu na bula valailavo ni neitou vuvale).
(Io keirau dau sega ni ni dau kereui koya me vakau I lavo mai vakavo ke dua na leqa na bibi e vale ka sega ni se baui vacala vadua nba neirau kerekere. Keirau marau ga ni keirau sa kila ni sa raw ani qaravi koya vakataki koya. (Most of the times Suli has helped us a lot through the money he sent while in Australia, but we hardly ask him to send us money because we wanted him to focus on his game we only ask for money if there is something important we need and we are happy he has managed to look after himself.)”
Kalesi said her son attended Nehru Primary School in Toorak and only played soccer at primary school level. She said Vunivalu had no idea about rugby league until he joined the Storm.
According to Kalesi, her son only spent two years at Lelean Memorial School and secured a rugby scholarship to play and study in Auckland.
From Auckland, Vunivalu played for the Auckland Blues development squad and moved to Melbourne in 2014 to join the Storm.
The 20-year-old Vunivalu made his biggest break with the Storm when he was selected to play against the West Tigers early this year.
It was a proud moment for his parents as the club had arranged for them to travel to Australia and watch him in his first premiership game.
Since then, he has retained his spot on the starting line-up until scoring a hatrick against the Broncos last week.
Vunivalu is the new big thing in the NRL after Semi Radradra after scoring a brace of tries in five games and a hatrick in two games.
His magnificent display and extraordinary rugby league talents has won the hearts of rugby league fans in Australia and locally.
Vunivalu’s three tries against the Broncos last week is still hitting the headlines in Australia and locally and he is being rated by some rugby league pundits as the future star of the game.
Back at his neighbourhood in Bagasau, Suva, his friends, family members and relatives are in numbers at the Vunivalu household to cheer their hero whenever the Storm played.
Vunivalu hails from Navave Village in Vuya District, Bua with maternal link to Levuka Village in Lakeba, Lau.
