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Melbourne Storm backrower Eli Katoa will miss the complete 2026 rugby league season as he continues his recovery at home in his home state, after returning from a prolonged stay in Auckland after undergoing brain surgery.

Sequence of Events

The 25-year-old suffered three head impacts during a single afternoon while playing for the Tongan national team in a Pacific Championship fixture against the Kiwis. This led to seizures while on the sideline, necessitating urgent medical care.

A surgical procedure to address bleeding on the brain resulted in the player hospitalized and temporarily grounded back to Melbourne.

The team announced recently that the forward has now come back and is recovering, having also been briefly admitted to a local medical facility.

“His health and recovery remain our top concern,” said the club's chief executive Justin Rodski. “It is great to have him back home and under the care of our medical staff and specialist physicians.”

The Road to Recovery

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

Importantly, the executive stated that there is no timeframe for Katoa’s recovery or a comeback to the field.

“In consultation with our medical team and neurology experts, Eli won't be back to practice during the preseason and is ruled out for the upcoming season,” he emphasized. “He has a lengthy recovery process ahead of him, and his focus will be on achieving complete wellness prior to contemplating a potential comeback to training.”

Rodski finished by saying that Eli is a highly valued and respected part of the squad and club, and that the entire club will rally around him and assist him during his rehabilitation period.

League Investigation

The National Rugby League is currently finalizing its investigation into the circumstances that resulted in the required neurosurgery.

The talented player, who was named in the league's best lineup at the annual awards ceremony, appeared to suffer a concussion during the warm-up for the Pacific Championship match.

Despite this, Katoa was cleared to participate in the match and suffered two additional blows to the head before coming off in the later stages.

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

The league has attempted to address issues around concussions in the sport in recent seasons, introducing stricter enforcement on dangerous contact and expanding the mandatory recovery time for injured athletes.