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The Storm backrower Eli Katoa will miss 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.

Sequence of Events

The 25-year-old sustained three head impacts in a single match while representing the Tongan national team in a international fixture versus the Kiwis. Subsequently, he experienced seizures while off the field, requiring urgent medical care.

A medical operation to relieve a brain bleed resulted in Katoa in the hospital and temporarily grounded back to Melbourne.

The club revealed this week that the forward has finally returned home and is on the mend, having also made a brief visit to a local medical facility.

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

The Road to Recovery

Rodski added that the athlete is improving each day and is eager to pursuing his recovery from home.

However, the CEO stated that there is no timeframe for his return to health or a potential return to training.

“After discussions with our doctor and neuro specialists, Katoa will not return to training during the preseason and won’t be available for the 2026 season,” Rodski declared. “He has a lengthy recovery process ahead of him, and his focus will be on returning to full health prior to contemplating a potential comeback to training.”

Rodski finished by saying that Katoa is a much loved and respected member of our team and club, and that the entire club will rally around him and assist him during his rehabilitation period.

Broader Context

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

The powerful forward, who was named in the competition’s team of the year at the annual awards ceremony, appeared to suffer a head injury during the warm-up for the Pacific Championship match.

However, Katoa was allowed to play in the game and suffered two more head impacts before being substituted in the later stages.

Katoa’s condition deteriorated quickly, and he required oxygen on the sideline before being taken off on a medicab.

The league has sought to tackle issues around concussions in the game in recent seasons, introducing crackdowns on dangerous contact and expanding the mandatory recovery time for injured athletes.