Tongan Rugby Player Eli Katoa Undergoes Emergency Surgery After Match incidents
Auckland, New Zealand – Tongan rugby league player Eli Katoa underwent emergency head surgery Sunday night after suffering three head impacts, including one during warm-ups and two during the Pacific Championships match against New Zealand. Katoa, a second-row forward, experienced convulsions on the bench during the second half of the match, ultimately requiring hospitalization and surgery.
The Melbourne Storm player was initially cleared to play at Eden Park despite a violent collision with a teammate during warm-up, reportedly without undergoing a full concussion protocol. During the match,which New zealand won 40-14,Katoa sustained two further significant blows to the head. He initially passed a concussion assessment after the first impact in the game but was subsequently removed from the field following the second. Television footage showed the 25-year-old being fitted with an oxygen mask and carried off on a stretcher.
“Eli Katoa was taken to hospital after suffering convulsions on the bench during the second half of the Pacific Championships match between Tonga and New Zealand,” the Melbourne Storm stated in a release Monday.The club confirmed Katoa was operated on overnight and is currently in stable condition, with his partner and mother at his side. Storm medical staff are maintaining close contact with the hospital and the Tongan team’s chief doctor.
Tongan coach Kristian Woolf defended the team’s medical staff, stating, “We have two very experienced doctors. They completed their usual medical examination. He passed all the tests,” according to Australian media reports.
Katoa posted an update on Instagram Monday from his hospital bed, writing, “Thank you everyone for your messages. Sorry for not responding to all of you, but I really appreciate all of your support.”
