Eli Katoa breaks silence after horror concussion saga as he makes call on NRL future

Storm star Eli Katoa has broken his silence after being ruled out for the season after a concussion saga as he made a call on his future in the sport.

Storm star Eli Katoa has broken his silence after his NRL career was derailed by a brain injury.

Last week, the back rower was ruled out of the entire 2026 NRL season after undergoing emergency surgery in New Zealand to treat a brain bleed suffered while playing for Tonga in the Pacific Championships.

Speaking for the first time since doctors rubbed him out for the 2026 season, Katoa declared “I’ll be back” in a defiant message to his social media followers on Saturday.

 “I’m back at home at the moment, and I’m in a good place now,” Katoa posted.

“My recovery is going well, and hopefully I can keep ticking all of the boxes that I need!

Katoa also thanked everyone for their support through the entire ordeal.

“First of all, I would like to say how grateful I am to get to where I am today,” he said on Instagram.

Eli Katoa has vowed to return to the NRL after a horror head injury ruled him out for the entire 2026 NRL season. Image: Getty

“I wanna (sic) say a huge thank you to everyone who prayed, visited, sent me a message and checked in on me. I really appreciate it.

“I’m sorry if I haven’t got back to you, I will get back to you guys soon.

“To all of my family, thank you for the love and support.

“To the (Tonga Test team), the team that we love. I wanna (sic) 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.

“To my girl (partner), this woman has been amazing, strong and sticking by my side through it all. I appreciate you, and I love you so much.

“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.”

Katoa made specific mention of the Tongan team after criticism of their handling of a pre-game collision with teammate Lehi Hopoate.

Tongan medical staff insist they didn’t see the footage that went to air.

Since Katoa will miss the entire 2026 season, the NRL has granted Melbourne salary cap dispensation, with former Knights enforcer Jack Hetherington linked heavily to the club as a potential replacement for their unavailable back rower.

Originally published as Eli Katoa breaks silence after horror concussion saga as he makes call on NRL future