Rugby league legend Shaun Johnson has called for people to be sacked in the wake of the terrifying Eli Katoa scenes in Auckland, with the NRL reviewing exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon and if usual protocols were met as the fallout continues following repeated head knocks that saw the Tonga star rushed to hospital for surgery.

Katoa’s club side the Storm confirmed in a media release on Monday that the world-class edge forward suffered “seizure activity” on the bench during Tonga’s loss to New Zealand in the Pacific Championships on Sunday.

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It has since emerged that he had bleeding on the brain but is now in a stable condition in hospital where he’s being supported by his mum and his partner.

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It follows distressing scenes on Sunday where Katoa copped an accidental shoulder to the head from teammate Lehi Hopoate in the warm-up which left him dazed.

But instead of being checked out at the time, he was cleared to take the field and was subsequently forced off after just nine minutes for a head injury assessment after he copped another knock to the head.

Katoa ultimately passed the HIA but was again taken from the field midway through the second half and his health steadily deteriorated following his third head knock in the space of two hours.

Medical staff were seen rushing to the bench where they applied an oxygen mask and placed him on a medi-cab before he was rushed to hospital.

The incident has prompted concerns over how it was handled, with rivals, the Players Association and now the NRL weighing in, while commentator Andrew Voss described it as “indefensible” on radio.

Former New Zealand international Shaun Johnson was at the ground working in the media and was appalled with how it was all handled.

“I feel a bit angry about the situation,” he said on the Play on Sport Show.

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Shaun Johnson (right) was at Sunday’s game and couldn’t believe Katoa was allowed to play. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

“I don’t get how it can even get to that point, but from a player’s view, we just hope that Eli’s all good. Anyone that’s been in that situation or has seen teammates in that situation, it’s the worst thing to see.

“I’m just going to say it – there is going to be fallout over this. There are going to be some heads that are rolled because I do not know how Eli Katoa was allowed to take the field.

“In warm-up, he has a shoulder to the head…loose body to the ground. All I thought straight away when I saw that was if that happened in a game or if that happened at training during the week, he’s done and they’d probably go cat one on it so he wouldn’t even sit an HIA and would be done.”

The NRL has since confirmed that they are investigating exactly what happened.

“Our first priority is the health of Eliesa Katoa,” an NRL spokesperson told the NewsWire on Monday night.

“The NRL chief medical officer is monitoring his condition and is in close contact with the medical experts involved.

“The NRL is currently reviewing the circumstances of Sunday’s events in line with usual practice.”

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Eli Katoa required urgent medical attention on the bench on Sunday.Source: Supplied

Tonga coach Kristian Woolf was adamant that his side’s medical team had done everything by the book, but that will be determined once the NRL’s investigation has concluded.

“Ensuring a safe environment for players is the remit of the NRL,” Rugby League Players Association chief operating officer Luke Ellis said in a statement.

“So along with our own inquiries, we will be trusting them to work through this and understand what occurred.“

Samoan stars were asked for their thoughts ahead of the Pacific Championships final in Sydney this weekend, with the overarching message to doctors to make the tough calls and take any decisions away from players who would do anything to represent their club or country.

“I wasn’t there and I’m not sure what kind of state he was in during the match, but it’s heartbreaking to hear and it’s a plea to look after our players and to ultimately look after yourself,” Samoa halfback Jarome Luai said.

Johnson said the onus was on the medical staff to rule Katoa out before the game and hopes no player ever has to be put in a similar situation.

Johnson says Katoa should never have been allowed to play. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

“You felt sick over the incident because he’s not right. It was a bad one – it wasn’t a mediocre one – in warm-up,” he said.

“He takes another one in the first half and is pulled off and I’m like (surely) they take the decision out of his hands as a medical staff and say ‘no, we’re looking after him’ and don’t even give him the chance of passing this.

“But they do it and he passes. We’re going ‘player welfare, look after the bloke’. It’s a game of rugby league, it doesn’t actually matter when you’re talking about the head.

“Sure enough he rolls back out there and he’s doing his job, but I see him take a third one in the second half when he catches a hip (to the head) and I went ‘no, no, no’.

“I felt sick, it was yuck.

“It’s not what you want to see, and it’s not what a player should ever go through.

“I just hope Eli’s all good. I wish it never got to that point, and I hope it never gets to that point for our players ever again because our players will always want to play.”