Eliesa Katoa

[moffla]

He’s been ruled out for the 2026 season.

Storm Update: Eli Katoa

Melbourne Storm can confirm that Eli Katoa has returned safely home to Melbourne from Auckland.

www.melbournestorm.com.au

 

[PANTHERMIKE]

Poor bugger....

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Enough time to prepare the law suit

 

[Marshall_magic]

Bellamy getting the punishment pole ready

 

[jasonstevenswedgie]

But if nobody saw them suffer the head injury, surely it’s on them to make the medics aware?
Having a bang to the head and a concussion doesn’t stop you being able to say ‘yeah we just banged heads and it’s rattled me’… rather than ‘I’m sweet bro, just a stinger in my shoulder’…. They’re not incapable of communicating - infact quite the opposite, evidence shows they’ve still got the wherewithal to try and hide the fact they’ve had a head knock.

I'm not saying that’s what happened here - but the number 1 fix for dealing with concussions properly and as safe as possible is for the players to be honest when they’ve hit their head, 1 about the fact it’s happened and 2 if they’re rattled or not.

how abuot the trainer treating him in the footage?

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

Man Melbourne have taken some serious L's over the past month.

Tongan Rugby League would be prepping some lawyers right now I'd imagine.

 

[lynx000]

Man Melbourne have taken some serious L's over the past month.

Tongan Rugby League would be prepping some lawyers right now I'd imagine.

Man Melbourne have taken some serious L's over the past month.

Tongan Rugby League would be prepping some lawyers right now I'd imagine.

Good save with the Samoa thing.

 

[moffla]

Man Melbourne have taken some serious L's over the past month.

Tongan Rugby League would be prepping some lawyers right now I'd imagine.

It’s definitely been the worst month and a bit as a storm fan since probably the Salary cap era, but to be honest this Eli news is by far the worst of the lot.

Makes our GF result/s seem pretty trivial now.

 

[some11]

Some smooth brain comments in here. Christ

I can only conclude they've suffered a few concussions.

Feel for Eli & his family + teammates. This could have been prevented.

 

[Chimp]

how abuot the trainer treating him in the footage?

Look, in all honesty, I’m sure the trainer will have seen it, and turned a blind eye - just as I’m sure that happens across all clubs at training during the week. The players do heavy contact in training, and we’ve only ever seen a really small handful of players miss games due to concussions at training.
My point is though, whilst unlikely, it is possible the trainer didn’t see the impact, so wouldn’t have had a clue there’d been a head knock, and the player may have said ‘just winded’ or something along those lines - all hypothetical and unlikely, but still, it’s a defence the Trainer could mount. The fact Katoa subsequently passed a HIA less than 30 mins later could also be used as evidence that despite the pre-game headclash, he wasn’t concussed. Again, I don’t actually believe that - all I’ve ever been saying is that the Tongans will have a defence of some sort, and one that could feasibly be true (though unlikely).
I am firm though - the players have the biggest opportunity to make the game safer in this respect with more honesty.

 

[Generalzod]

He’s been ruled out for the 2026 season.

Storm Update: Eli Katoa

Melbourne Storm can confirm that Eli Katoa has returned safely home to Melbourne from Auckland.

www.melbournestorm.com.au

“In consultation with our doctor and neuro specialists, Eli will not return to training this pre-season and won’t be available for the 2026 season.


Right decision to prolong the kids career.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

“In consultation with our doctor and neuro specialists, Eli will not return to training this pre-season and won’t be available for the 2026 season.


Right decision to prolong the kids career.

* Prolong his life. This is not about his career right now, that might be f**ked. Nothing they're doing now is about his career.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Look, in all honesty, I’m sure the trainer will have seen it, and turned a blind eye - just as I’m sure that happens across all clubs at training during the week. The players do heavy contact in training, and we’ve only ever seen a really small handful of players miss games due to concussions at training.
My point is though, whilst unlikely, it is possible the trainer didn’t see the impact, so wouldn’t have had a clue there’d been a head knock, and the player may have said ‘just winded’ or something along those lines - all hypothetical and unlikely, but still, it’s a defence the Trainer could mount. The fact Katoa subsequently passed a HIA less than 30 mins later could also be used as evidence that despite the pre-game headclash, he wasn’t concussed. Again, I don’t actually believe that - all I’ve ever been saying is that the Tongans will have a defence of some sort, and one that could feasibly be true (though unlikely).
I am firm though - the players have the biggest opportunity to make the game safer in this respect with more honesty.

I hear what you're saying in that if the player knows they have suffered a head knock, in an ideal world (if they are not suffering memory loss or confusion) they would self-report. It's their brain health, ideally they would take full responsibility for it.

But there's so many variables here. Memory, or lack of, for one. Pride (I'm tough). I want to play. I don't want to miss next week, in the case of Eli before a possible Pacific Cup final. Young men cannot be trusted under those circumstances to make a call, although obviously if we lived in a perfect world, they would. Clubs/teams etc have already showed that they will act in a self-interested way, as well, which is why there are independents. Unfortunately they are not there, I imagine, in warm-ups.

If a trainer turned a blind eye, they may want to go and find a cave to live in for a while when this thing comes out.

We can only hope something good comes out of this horrible situation and future issues are negated with accountability.

At the moment it doesn't matter one f**k whether Katoa plays again, although it is tragic that he may never play another game. We saw with Phil Hughes the cricketer, and there was a young boy in Melbourne last month who died in a similar way, that bleeds on the brain can end up costing lives. Eli is lucky in some way to hopefully face a life ahead of him, and one that is able to be relatively normal

 

[Manurewa_Marlins]

If anything it puts head knocks and concussions right back at the forefront of the game where it belongs.

Any thoughts on the NRL clamping down further on diving in the case of "head knocks"?

 

[Chimp]

I hear what you're saying in that if the player knows they have suffered a head knock, in an ideal world (if they are not suffering memory loss or confusion) they would self-report. It's their brain health, ideally they would take full responsibility for it.

But there's so many variables here. Memory, or lack of, for one. Pride (I'm tough). I want to play. I don't want to miss next week, in the case of Eli before a possible Pacific Cup final. Young men cannot be trusted under those circumstances to make a call, although obviously if we lived in a perfect world, they would. Clubs/teams etc have already showed that they will act in a self-interested way, as well, which is why there are independents. Unfortunately they are not there, I imagine, in warm-ups.

If a trainer turned a blind eye, they may want to go and find a cave to live in for a while when this thing comes out.

We can only hope something good comes out of this horrible situation and future issues are negated with accountability.

At the moment it doesn't matter one f**k whether Katoa plays again, although it is tragic that he may never play another game. We saw with Phil Hughes the cricketer, and there was a young boy in Melbourne last month who died in a similar way, that bleeds on the brain can end up costing lives. Eli is lucky in some way to hopefully face a life ahead of him, and one that is able to be relatively normal

Couldn’t agree more!

 

[PANTHERMIKE]

Any thoughts on the NRL clamping down further on diving in the case of "head knocks"?

5 minutes off the field for any player who takes a dive, or actions they have taken a hit to the head - even if no penalty is warranted.

 

[Canard]

f**k me, old mate is possibly not going to play again, and yet some on LU want to punish players who receive head knocks for not acting "tough".

 

[Canard]

I'd reckon clubs will be seeking some pretty strong assurances from Tonga around player welfare next season.

 

[Manurewa_Marlins]

f**k me, old mate is possibly not going to play again, and yet some on LU want to punish players who receive head knocks for not acting "tough".

Who's that mate?

 

[Grandpa Joe]

Look, in all honesty, I’m sure the trainer will have seen it, and turned a blind eye - just as I’m sure that happens across all clubs at training during the week. The players do heavy contact in training, and we’ve only ever seen a really small handful of players miss games due to concussions at training.

1000 percent, especially in lower grades and bush footy.

How do you make people accountable from the top down.