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Melbourne Storm forward Eli Katoa has been officially ruled out the entire 2026 NRL season as he continues his recovery at home in Victoria, after coming back from a prolonged stay in New Zealand where he underwent brain surgery.

What Happened

The 25-year-old sustained three head impacts during a single match while playing for the Tongan national team in a international fixture against the Kiwis. This led to convulsions while on the sideline, requiring emergency medical attention.

A surgical procedure to relieve a brain bleed resulted in Katoa hospitalized and initially unable to travel to his club base.

The club announced this week 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 top concern,” said the club's chief executive a team official. “We are thrilled to have him back home and under the care of our medical staff and local specialists.”

Recovery and Rehabilitation

Rodski noted that the athlete is improving each day and is looking forward to continuing his rehabilitation in a home environment.

However, the CEO confirmed that there is no set timeline for his return to health or a potential return to training.

“In consultation with our doctor and neuro specialists, Eli won't be back to practice this pre-season and won’t be available for the upcoming season,” he emphasized. “He has a lengthy recovery process ahead of him, and his focus will be on returning to full health before considering a potential comeback to rugby league activities.”

Rodski finished by saying that Eli is a highly valued and respected part of the squad and organization, and that the Storm family will rally around him and assist him during his recovery.

League Investigation

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

The powerful forward, who was named in the competition’s team of the year at the recent Dally M awards, seemed to sustain a concussion during the warm-up for the Pacific Championship match.

Despite this, Katoa was allowed to play in the match and suffered 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 stretcher.

The league has sought to tackle issues around concussions in the sport in recent years, implementing stricter enforcement on dangerous contact and lengthening the post-concussion stand down period for affected players.