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Melbourne Storm backrower Eli Katoa will miss the entire 2026 rugby league season as he continues his recovery at home in Victoria, following coming back from a prolonged stay in New Zealand after undergoing a neurosurgical procedure.

Sequence of Events

The 25-year-old athlete sustained three head impacts in a single afternoon while representing the Tongan national team in a Pacific Championship match against New Zealand. Subsequently, he experienced convulsions while on the sideline, necessitating emergency medical attention.

A surgical procedure to relieve bleeding on the brain left the player hospitalized and initially unable to travel back to Melbourne.

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

“Eli’s health and wellbeing remain our top concern,” 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 improving each day and is looking forward to pursuing his recovery from home.

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

“After discussions with our medical team and neuro specialists, Eli won't be back to practice this pre-season and won’t be available for the 2026 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 finished by noting that Katoa is a highly valued and respected member of our team and organization, and that the Storm family will rally around him and assist him during his recovery.

Broader Context

The NRL is currently finalizing its investigation into the circumstances that resulted in Katoa’s surgery.

The powerful forward, who was named in the league's best lineup at the recent Dally M awards, seemed to sustain a head injury during the pregame routine for the international contest.

However, Katoa was cleared to participate in the game and suffered two more head impacts before coming off in the second half.

His state worsened rapidly, and he needed medical oxygen beside the field before being taken off on a stretcher.

The NRL has attempted to address issues around concussions in the game in recent years, introducing stricter enforcement on dangerous contact and expanding the post-concussion stand down period for injured athletes.