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The 25-year-old former Melbourne Storm flyer was stood down for one game but escaped with his contract intact.<\/a><\/p>\n Thorn hadn't been so lenient with previous indiscretions, jettisoning James Slipper and Karmichael Hunt after off-field slip-ups as well as freezing out mercurial playmaker Quade Cooper.<\/p>\n "He said this is just a minor setback," Vunivalu told reporters when asked what Thorn's message had been following the January 30 incident at a Brisbane nightspot.<\/p>\n "The only way you can get better is what you can do afterwards.<\/p>\n "And that's what I'm trying to do, just keep my head down and try to show on field that I'm better than that."<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> A decade on, Queensland rugby is buzzing again<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Smiling assassin nails history-making kick<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> The most relieved man in Super Rugby<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Vunivalu appreciated Thorn – who has long been a teetotaller after some wilder days in his youth – having his back throughout the process.<\/p>\n "Yeah it's really easy coming from him because he's a player himself," Vunivalu said.<\/p>\n "At that time I really wanted support and him talking to me was really good."<\/p>\n Not so easy was fronting his new Reds teammates and explaining his actions.<\/p>\n "Yeah it was hard standing in front of them, addressing them.<\/p>\n "It's not a good look for me, just being there four weeks and that incident happened."<\/p>\n The speedster said that Thorn's coaching methods were similar to those of his former Storm mentor Craig Bellamy.<\/p>\n "Thorny is pretty much like Craig, pretty old school, winning culture and stuff like that.<\/p>\n "Just hard work to get into the team which is pretty good."<\/p>\n Vunivalu is hopeful that his hamstring injury will have healed for the April 23 clash with the Western Force ahead of the home grand final on May 8.<\/p>\n That niggle has stalled his rugby development but he still felt he was making steady progress in the game he played growing up in Fiji and New Zealand.<\/p>\n Daily extras sessions with Reds attack coach Jim McKay had been crucial.<\/p>\n "He's fast tracked me back into the game which is good," Vunivalu said.<\/p>\n "I'm getting better every week. The more games I play, the better I learn…<\/p>\n "I can kick, I can go roam around like a fullback in league, in the middle and on the other edge. So I'm pretty happy, I'm still learning so the more games the better."<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
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