Storm winger Will Warbrick was “emotional and rattled” when he heard the shock news that teammate Tui Kamikamica had suffered a suspected stroke, but a visit to hospital put him at ease when he heard the veteran prop tell a joke when he walked through the door.
Melbourne put out a statement on Monday revealing Kamikamica had suffered a medical episode and had subsequently undergone treatment for a suspected stroke.
The 31-year-old Fijian stalwart is recovering in hospital, with Warbrick one of several players to have visited him.
“When I first found out, I was a bit emotional and rattled,” the winger said, having lived with Kamikamica for a couple of years when he moved to Victoria.
“I didn’t have too many details when I found out via a teammate trying to call me in the morning and a lot of messages on my phone.
“Once I heard the news about it, I went straight to the hospital. Eli Katoa, our team doctor and a few other people close to Tui were there as well.
“After seeing him, the first thing he said to me was a joke, so he was in good spirits in what was a difficult situation for him.
“It’s still early days and he’s recovering, but he’s in great care.”
A club official said Kamikamica was doing “really well” on Tuesday, but there’s no timeline on when he might be able to resume NRL duties.
“The doc came in this morning and Tui is apparently doing really well. He’s in good spirits and he’s up walking around and talking, so that’s really positive,” fellow forward Josh King said.
“I’m not sure of the extent of everything at the moment, but it’s a real positive that at least he’s able to move around and be talking.
“It’s the last thing you want to hear on the morning of your day off that one of your players is in hospital with something like that.
“For us, it’s a timely reminder how precious life is and how you can sometimes take your health for granted.
“Tui is a fit young man, so you’d never think that something like that could happen to him.
“For us after two losses, you probably think how there are other important things in life other than just football.”
Meanwhile, Warbrick explained the decision to leave the Storm to join the Warriors on a three-year deal in 2027.
The winger said it was a gamble to switch codes after a dominant sevens career and revealed he felt “out of his depth” when he first joined the club.
“It was something that I put a lot of thought into and gave it the time it needed,” the former Olympian said, with Warbrick’s partner also from New Zealand.
“Ultimately, it was the opportunity to now be able to go back home to New Zealand and be closer to my family.
“I moved here just under five years ago on my own. We were at the back end of Covid, so we there were a lot of unknowns.
“It’s been a great five years and I’ve loved being here, but for me, my family is my priority, so it’s family first and footy second.”
The Storm is reeling after back-to-back losses and face a daunting trip to Sydney where they’ll take on the unbeaten Panthers who look unstoppable right now.
“There’s no better time to test yourself than against Penrith,” King said.
“With the form they’re showing at the moment, there’re back in their dynasty days at the minute.”
Originally published as ‘Timely reminder how precious life is’: Tui Kamikamica doing ‘really well’ as Storm veteran recovers from suspected stroke