He was found by Fiji coach Wayne Pivac when he spotted Maleli playing in the Colonial Cup for the Coastal Stallions.

A product of the Nadi Muslim Academy, Kunavore began to shine when he represented the Fiji U21 side in 2004.

A year later the solid speedster was the top try scorer for the Stallions in the Colonial Cup.

He improved with every match and scored one try and two conversions to help his province Nadroga with the Fiji Cup final in 2005.

He then earned his first Test cap and also scored a try to help Fiji defeat Samoa 21-15 in Suva.