Eli Katoa admits there’s still a cloud of uncertainty hanging over his NRL career, with the next few months set to be key.

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Katoa, who suffered a life threatening brain bleed during a Pacific Championships game for Tonga last year, will be sidelined for the entire 2026 season at the very least.

The star backrower has been a constant presence at Storm training as he continues his “ long road” to recovery.

Appearing on Channel 7 show The Agenda Setters on Monday, Katoa says he’s content with his recovery but still faces a few nervous moments over the coming weeks with doctors ultimately to make the final call on whether he plays again.

”It’s going to be tough,’’ Katoa said.

“I’ve been going well with my recovery. There’s still a long head to go, but like I said, my goal is to do whatever I can do to come back and play the game again.

“There’s a lot of support around me, obviously with Melbourne and the medical staff and obviously the boys and the coaching staff as well, which has been so good for me and I’m really grateful about that.

“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. But for what I’m doing now, it’s just controlling of what I can do, whether it’s getting flogged at training or helping 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, so let’s just hope for the best.’’

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Katoa suffered three brutal head knocks before and during Tonga’s clash with New Zealand last November, which attributed to a scary sideline seizure.

Katoa was rushed to hospital and underwent brain surgery, with the 26-year-old ruled out for the 2026 season soon after.

The sickening pre-game head knock Katoa copped wasn’t reported to coaches. As a result, two-year bans have been proposed for three Tonga staff members, including the team’s head doctor and trainer.

However, Katoa isn’t interested in placing blame on anyone for his ordeal.

“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,” he said.

“It’s already happened and lucky enough I’m still alive.”