Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Football
Netball
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
How to tune into Sport Nation'Devastated' Katoa 'struggling to process' impact of brain surgery
Emily Benammar • November 19th, 2025 11:52 am
A devastated Eli Katoa is struggling to come to terms with the fact he will miss the entire 2026 season at the very least as a result of a triple head knock incident while playing representative football with Tonga.
Melbourne Storm CEO Justin Rodski confirmed on Tuesday that the 25-year-old would not feature at all next season after under going brain surgery to relieve the pressure inflicted on him by three significant blows while playing in New Zealand earlier this month.
Katoa, who has finally returned to Melbourne after weeks in an Auckland hospital, will continue his recovery under the watchful eyes of Storm medics, but faces a long and difficult road which brings with it no guarantees of a return.
Speaking to SEN 1170 Breakfast, Rodski said the club is taking things on a day-by-day basis and that the number one priority would be Katoa's well being - whatever that meant in the future.
"He's struggling to process it all, obviously," Rodski said. "He's an athlete, he's a competitor, he is a young man at the peak of his powers, and he's now facing at a minimum a year on the sidelines.
"As you can imagine, he's struggling to deal with that part of this.
"His passion and love is rugby league, and, for that to be taken away from him, is pretty devastating."
Distressing vision of the Storm star being attended to by medical staff and teammates on the sideline during Tonga's clash with the Kiwis went viral earlier this month.
Sam Ackerman on 'the Eli Katoa incident' | Scotty & Izzy
It emerged Katoa had sustained a significant head knock during the warm-up but had not undergone a pre-match HIA. He went on to require two further assessments during the match before being taken off after 51 minutes.
It was while sitting on the sidelines that his condition deteriorated and he was taken with an oxygen mask to hospital where he underwent surgery.
While Storm announced he would skip the 2026 season, this appears to be the best case scenario with Rodski coy about what the future holds.
"We're in the doctor's hands and the medical experts will guide us on what what he can and can't do," he continued.
"He's got, a series of tests and series of assessments and rehabilitation plan that'll be put in place that will have milestones in it that he'll need to tick off over the course of the coming weeks and months.
"It is in the hands of the doctors and the medical experts as it should be. We will never say never to any scenario, but at the same time this is a moment when we really don't want to put any pressure or expectation on him or his recovery.
"We just want to make sure that he gets fit and healthy and that's the first priority for us and his welfare not just in the immediate term, but you know, for the rest of his life."
Refusing to be drawn into the investigation into how this all happened and whether or not a lawsuit will present itself, Rodski insists it is a matter for the NRL and that they as a club would be fully cooperative of the directives that come their way.
In the interim, Storm are working with the NRL to ascertain what Katoa's 2026 absence will mean in terms of a replacement player and salary cap assistance.
Listen to the full interview below:
