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The Storm backrower Eli Katoa has been officially ruled out the entire 2026 NRL season as he continues his recovery at home in Victoria, after returning from a prolonged stay in Auckland where he underwent brain surgery.

Sequence of Events

The 25-year-old sustained three separate head injuries in a single afternoon while representing the Tongan national team in a Pacific Championship fixture versus New Zealand. Subsequently, he experienced convulsions while off the field, necessitating urgent medical care.

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

The team revealed recently that the forward has finally returned home and is recovering, having also been briefly admitted to a local medical facility.

“Eli’s health and wellbeing are our number one priority,” stated Storm CEO Justin Rodski. “It is great to have him home safely and under the care of our medical staff and local specialists.”

The Road to Recovery

Rodski added that the athlete is making daily progress and is looking forward to pursuing his recovery from home.

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

“After discussions with our doctor and neurology experts, Eli will not return to practice during the preseason and is ruled out for the upcoming season,” Rodski declared. “He has a lengthy recovery process ahead of him, and his primary goal will be on returning to full health before considering a potential comeback to training.”

Rodski concluded by noting that Katoa is a much loved and respected member of our team and club, and that the Storm family will support him fully and assist him during his recovery.

League Investigation

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

The powerful forward, who was selected for the competition’s team of the year at the recent Dally M awards, appeared to suffer a head injury during the warm-up for the international contest.

Despite this, Katoa was allowed to play in the game and suffered two more head impacts before coming off in the second half.

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

The league has sought to tackle concerns around head injuries in the sport in recent years, implementing crackdowns on dangerous contact and expanding the post-concussion stand down period for affected players.