Melbourne Storm star Eli Katoa has broken his silence following the sickening series of head clashes that ruled him out of the 2026 NRL season.
Katoa was on international duty for Tonga when the devastating trio of head knocks happened, the first of which happened in the warm-up and seemed sure to rule him out of the game.
Footage of that collision with a teammate sparked outcry given the fact Katoa was allowed to play, suffering a head knock in the first half for which he passed a Head Injury Assessment (HIA), before then failing one in the second half.
Katoa then suffered a seizure on the sideline and had to be rushed to hospital, with questions arising over whether due diligence had been done and whether the Tongan medical staff did all they could to protect the 25-year-old.
Around a fortnight later, an update came from Melbourne Storm CEO that explained the club were focused on the back-rower’s health, however, doctors soon ruled him out for the entire 2026 NRL season.
Check out the latest episode of The Serious About Rugby League Show on our YouTube channel here.
Melbourne Storm star promises “I’ll be back soon” after horror head clash
After returning from New Zealand, where the initial incident had taken place, Melbourne confirmed that Katoa would not play in 2026 on medical grounds and the 25-year-old Storm star has now spoken out for the first time.
In a statement shared by Katoa on his social media, he first expressed gratitude for getting to where he was today, thanking those who had “prayed, visited, sent me a message and checked in on me”.
Katoa also thanked the Tongan rugby league camp, despite the fact many have questioned their doctors for allowing him to play after the initial warm-up collision.
The 25-year-old said: “To the @tongarugbyleagueofficial, the team that we love. I wanna say a massive thank you. The time that we had in camp was unreal. Thank you guys for the help in camp. I love playing for our little kingdom.”
After paying tribute to his partner, Katoa turned to his club Melbourne, stating: “A special thank you to the Storm for all of the help and the support that you guys are continuing to provide. I appreciate it.”
He finished the statement: “I’m back at home at the moment and I’m in a good place now. My recovery is going well and hopefully I can keep ticking all of the boxes that I need!.
“And to the storm fans, in God’s timing “I’ll be back soon” ”
That final line will be what many of the Storm fans and the rugby league community will cling to as there was and still remains genuine concerns that the Melbourne star’s career may be over.
Of course, he won’t play in 2026 and any return beyond that would have to be approved by medical professionals but Katoa’s statement is a majorly positive update following a concerning off-season story.
View this post on Instagram
