🔗 Share this article

The Storm forward Eli Katoa has been officially ruled out the entire 2026 NRL season as he focuses on rehabilitation at home in his home state, after coming back from a prolonged stay in Auckland where he underwent brain surgery.

What Happened

The 25-year-old sustained three separate head injuries in a single match while playing for the Tongan national team in a international fixture versus New Zealand. This led to convulsions while on the sideline, necessitating urgent medical care.

A medical operation to address bleeding on the brain resulted in the player hospitalized and temporarily grounded to his club base.

The team announced this week that the forward has finally returned home and is recovering, having also made a brief visit to a Melbourne hospital.

“His health and recovery remain our number one priority,” stated the club's chief executive a team official. “It is great to have him back home and under the supervision of our medical staff and specialist physicians.”

The Road to Recovery

Rodski added that the athlete is making daily progress and is eager to continuing his rehabilitation in a home environment.

Importantly, the CEO stated that there is no set timeline for Katoa’s recovery or a comeback to the field.

“In consultation with our medical team and neuro specialists, Katoa will not return to training this pre-season and won’t be available for the 2026 season,” Rodski declared. “He has a long road ahead ahead of him, and his focus will be on returning to full health prior to contemplating a potential comeback to rugby league activities.”

Rodski finished by noting that Katoa is a much loved and respected member of our team and organization, and that the Storm family will rally around him and assist him during his recovery.

League Investigation

The National Rugby League is wrapping up its inquiry into the events that led to Katoa’s surgery.

The powerful forward, who was selected for the league's best lineup at the annual awards ceremony, seemed to sustain a head injury during the pregame routine for the Pacific Championship match.

Despite this, he was allowed to play in the match and suffered two additional blows to the head before being substituted in the later stages.

His state deteriorated quickly, and he required oxygen on the sideline before being removed from the field on a medicab.

The NRL has sought to tackle issues around head injuries in the sport in recent years, introducing stricter enforcement on dangerous contact and lengthening the post-concussion stand down period for affected players.