"Hope for the best": Eli Katoa provides recovery update as his next goal revealed

Eliesa Katoa says he holds no animosity towards the events that led to him suffering a brain bleed during a match, instead committing to do everything he can to return to rugby league.

Katoa was representing Tonga in the Pacific Championships seven months ago when he suffered three head knocks, one before the match and two during, that ultimately required brain surgery to treat after the game.

The second rower was ruled out of the entire 2026 season, while Tonga’s head doctor, head trainer, and assistant doctor were banned from working with any NRL or ARLC team for two years.

While doubts persist around whether Katoa will ever receive to play, the 26-year-old is doing everything possible to return to the field.

“I'm the sort of person that, what happened in the past, I sort of just leave that and move away and move forward and do what I need to do,” Katoa told Seven's The Agenda Setters: Rugby League.

“Obviously, my goal is just to come back and play, and, there's no point for me to look back and try to see what should have happened and what we could have done better… it's already happened.

“Lucky enough, I'm still alive, and my next goal is focusing on what I can do to come back and play the game again.

“I'm going really well at the moment, there's a lot of support around me, obviously with Melbourne and the medical stuff… I'm really grateful about that and I've been going well with my recovery.

“There's still a long way to go, but like I said, my goal is to do whatever I can do to come back and play the game again.”

Before his injury, Katoa was coming off an incredible season, having been named Dally M second rower of the year two years in a row.

Asked about the prospect of not being able to return to play, Katoa stressed that he is hopeful for the best outcome but admits there are many personal considerations that will factor into whether he is able to lace up the boots again.

“It's going to be tough,” Katoa said.

“There's a lot of things going into it.

“If you talk about yes or no answers here, I'm thinking about my family as well, and (the) people that I do what I do for, for them, but for what I'm doing now, it's just controlling what I can do, whether it's getting flogged at training all the time and doing blue shirt and help out the boys.

“I know if I just do my bit, the thing that I can control, and hopefully that can go a long way, but in terms of that, we don't know the answers yet, but let's just hope for the best.”

And despite suffering his injuries in Tongan colours, Katoa expressed he would jump at the chance to be involved with the team during the Rugby League World Cup at the season.

“If they want me there, obviously, I love that jersey there, and they're the reason why I play the game, and it's for my family, and I grew up in Tonga my whole life,” Katoa said.

“If they want me to be outside and help out with whatever, I'd love to.”

Following the news of Katoa’s injury, concern and anger reverberated around the NRL world, with an outpouring of messages as fans, players, and pundits worried if the Tongan international would ever return.

Despite an unimaginable period, Katoa has remained upbeat and positive about a potential return, crediting the support of the Melbourne Storm, and head coach Craig Bellamy, in keeping his dream alive.

Bellamy’s own future is clouded after he revealed in April he had been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder, but Katoa had nothing but kind words for his coach, and the family environment at the Storm.

“My career started when I was at the Warriors there, but, for me, I'd say it started when I first walked into the Storm,” Katoa said.

“What he (Bellamy) did for me at the start, not only Craig Bellamy, but the staff and the players as well, I feel (sic) like I was at home as soon as I walked in there.

“We've got a lot of different players from different states, and different backgrounds, but we call each other a family here because we hang around with each other on our days off, and we do everything together because we don't have our family here.

“But the support that he has (given) me… I can't talk enough and like I said, not only him, but from the club and everyone around here in Melbourne, it's been huge, and I'm so grateful for that.

“I feel like as a man, you don't wanna speak up and ask for help because you think that people will think that you're weak and you can't handle your own situation,” Katoa said.

“Lucky enough with the people that we have at our club with the Melbourne Storm there, you can find whoever, we talk about Craig Bellamy, Frank Ponissi, and even with just the players, I feel like in our group, we're so comfortable, you can just go and talk to anyone at the Storm for any help that you might require.

“Obviously, a lot of us, they don't have family here, they're doing it tough here, they miss their family like myself as well, but it makes it easy because you can talk to anyone at the Storm like that too.”

The Melbourne Storm are dedicating Round 16 to their inaugural mental health round, built around the message that no one should face mental health challenges alone.

The club will host a number of activities in partnership with Beyond Blue before their clash with the Canberra Raiders on Sunday.