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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 his home state, following coming back from a prolonged stay in New Zealand after undergoing a neurosurgical procedure.

Sequence of Events

The 25-year-old suffered three head impacts in a single afternoon while representing Tonga in a international match against New Zealand. This led to convulsions while on the sideline, requiring urgent medical care.

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

The club revealed recently that Katoa has now come back and is on the mend, having also made a brief visit to a Melbourne hospital.

“Eli’s health and wellbeing remain our number one priority,” said the club's chief executive a team official. “It is great to have him home safely and under the care of our club doctor and local specialists.”

The Road to Recovery

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

Importantly, the CEO confirmed that there is no set timeline for Katoa’s recovery or a comeback to the field.

“In consultation with our medical team and neuro specialists, Eli will not return to practice during the preseason and won’t be available for the upcoming season,” Rodski declared. “He has a lengthy recovery process ahead of him, and his primary goal will be on achieving complete wellness before considering any form of return to rugby league activities.”

Rodski concluded by saying that Eli is a highly valued 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 NRL is wrapping up its inquiry into the events that resulted in the required neurosurgery.

The powerful forward, who was named in the league's best lineup at the recent Dally M awards, appeared to suffer a concussion during the warm-up for the Pacific Championship match.

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

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

The league 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 affected players.