The NRL has confirmed it’s reviewing exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon and if usual protocols were met as the fallout continues following Eli Katoa’s repeated head knocks which saw him 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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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 enquiries, 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.
Originally published as ‘Currently reviewing the circumstances’: NRL responds to Eli Katoa incident as Tonga star continues to recover in hospital