The NRL has dished out breach notices to four members of Tonga’s backroom team following the brain injury Eli Katoa suffered last month.
Katoa had a seizure due to a bleed on the brain after picking up three head injuries during Tonga’s Pacific Championships clash with New Zealand at the start of November. The back-rower took a knock during the warm up before taking two more blows to the head during the game.
He passed a head injury assessment after the first knock he took during the game before leaving the field after the second. That’s when his condition deteriorated and he was rushed to hospital for surgery.
In the month that has passed since, Melbourne Storm have confirmed that he would be stood down for the full 2026 season and after investigating the incident, the NRL has now taken action.
In a statement released on their website, the league has issued four breach notices with members of the Tonga set up looking at two-year bans.
Tonga’s head doctor, assistant doctor and orange shirt trainer have all been hit with the proposed suspensions, while the medical assistant has been given a formal warning.
The trio will have five business days to respond to the notices.
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The statement read: “The investigation has identified a number of serious concerns regarding possible breaches of the NRL Rules and protocols by a number of individuals in the way that Mr Katoa was treated.
“These concerns relate to a possible breakdown in communication between responsible medical and health professionals in relation to the safety of Mr Katoa, including through a failure to share and disclose information that was vital to the health of the player.
“The NRL Rules and protocols exist to protect player safety and wellbeing and must be followed.
“All on-field NRL trainers and medical personnel are required to annually complete the NRL’s Elite Head Injury/Concussion protocols as well as maintain minimum standards of medical qualification and education.
“Four Tonga XIII officials have each received a Breach notice under the NRL Rules. The proposed penalties for each individual are as follows:
“Head Doctor – a prohibition from being concerned, whether directly or indirectly, with any Club, Team or Player in the NRL Competitions, Representative Competitions or any other competition conducted under the auspices of the NRL or ARLC for a period of no less than 24 months.
“Assistant Doctor – a prohibition from being concerned, whether directly or indirectly, with any Club, Team or Player in the NRL Competitions, Representative Competitions or any other competition conducted under the auspices of the NRL or ARLC for a period of no less than 24 months.
“Orange Shirt Trainer (Head Trainer) – a prohibition from being concerned, whether directly or indirectly, with any Club, Team or Player in the NRL Competitions, Representative Competitions or any other competition conducted under the auspices of the NRL or ARLC for a period of 24 months.
“Additionally, the yellow shirt trainer (Medical Assistant) has been issued with a formal warning.
“All individuals will also be required to undergo further training on their responsibilities under the NRL Rules and the NRL’s policy for the management of possible head injuries and concussion.
“Each individual has five business days to respond to the Breach notice.”
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