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The Storm forward Eli Katoa will miss the complete 2026 rugby league season as he continues his recovery at home in Victoria, following coming back from a extended period in Auckland after undergoing 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 international match versus the Kiwis. This led to convulsions while on the sideline, requiring urgent medical care.

A medical operation to relieve a brain bleed resulted in the player in the hospital and temporarily grounded to his club base.

The team announced recently that the forward has now come back 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,” said Storm CEO a team official. “We are thrilled to have him back home and under the supervision of our medical staff and specialist physicians.”

Recovery and Rehabilitation

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

Importantly, the executive confirmed that there is no set timeline for Katoa’s recovery or a potential return to training.

“In consultation with our medical team and neurology experts, Katoa won't be back to training this pre-season and won’t be available for the upcoming season,” Rodski declared. “There is a lengthy recovery process ahead of him, and his primary goal will be on returning to full health prior to contemplating any form of return to training.”

Rodski finished by saying that Eli is a highly valued and respected member of our team and club, and that the Storm family will rally around him and support him through his rehabilitation period.

Broader Context

The NRL is currently finalizing its inquiry into the circumstances that led to Katoa’s surgery.

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

Despite this, Katoa was cleared to participate in the match and endured two additional blows to the head before coming off in the second half.

Katoa’s condition worsened rapidly, and he needed medical oxygen on the sideline before being removed from the field on a medicab.

The NRL has sought to tackle concerns around concussions in the game in recent years, implementing crackdowns on dangerous contact and expanding the mandatory recovery time for injured athletes.