Eli Katoa remains hopeful of returning to the NRL, with Melbourne Storm saying his recovery from brain surgery is ‘going well’ as he promised the club’s fans that he will ‘be back soon’.
Katoa was ruled out of the 2026 NRL season after undergoing emergency surgery in New Zealand to treat a brain bleed suffered while playing for Tonga in the Pacific Championships.
The Storm second-rower’s career was thrown into doubt after he suffered three head knocks in 90 minutes and required oxygen on the sidelines.
Katoa spent more than two weeks in hospital before consulting with specialists in Melbourne, who advised he not play next season.
The 25-year-old is continuing his rehabilitation and recovery under the watch of the Storm medical staff, and said he hoped to play again.
‘I’m back at home at the moment and I’m in a good place now,’ Katoa posted on Instagram.
Pictured: The Instagram post in which Eli Katoa told Melbourne Storm fans ‘I’ll be back soon’ after having emergency surgery for a brain bleed he suffered while playing for Tonga
The forward shared photos of the start of his recovery, including this one showing him getting help while walking down a flight of stairs
Katoa also showed his followers what was left of his hair after it was removed so doctors could operate on his brain
‘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’.’
Katoa thanked people for their messages and prayers, and the Storm club for its support.
‘A special thank you to the Storm for all of the help and support that you guys are continuing to provide, I appreciate it,’ he wrote.
‘To my girl, this woman has been amazing, strong and sticking by my side through it all. I appreciate you and I love you so much.’
Ryan Papenhuyzen, who also won’t play with Melbourne next season after walking away from his contract, was one of Katoa’s teammates to respond.
‘Health is wealth king, look after yourself my bro,’ wrote the star fullback, who has also endured career-threatening injuries.
Katoa’s post included some confronting images of him in hospital, and also showing where his head had been shaved for the surgery.
Katoa hailed his partner Tuitofa Aloua (pictured together) for standing by him, writing, ‘This woman has been amazing’
Pictured: A photo Katoa uploaded showing him being fed a hamburger after the surgery
The loss of Katoa, Papenhuyzen, representative prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona and promising half Jonah Pezet puts a dent in Melbourne’s aspirations of winning a title after two successive grand-final losses.
The Storm will receive salary-cap relief for Katoa, but the Dally M second-rower of the year is almost impossible to replace.
The NRL has completed an investigation into Tonga’s handling of his injuries, but is yet to release its findings.
Katoa appears to have no hard feelings towards the Tongan camp, thanking the organisation in his post.
‘To the @tongarugbyleagueofficial, the team that we love. I wanna say a massive thank you. The quality time that we had in camp was unreal. Thank you guys for the help in camp! I love playing for our little Kingdom,’ he wrote.
