Alarming scenes unfolded in Auckland as a rugby league player was rushed to hospital following three severe head impacts within the space of an hour. Tonga forward Eli Katoa was preparing for the Pacific Championships clash against New Zealand when he suffered a horrific collision with team-mate Lehi Hopoate during warm-ups.
Despite being left stunned by the brutal head knock, team medics astonishingly cleared him to play, but matters deteriorated rapidly once the match began. Just nine minutes into the contest, Katoa endured another head blow and was taken off for a head injury assessment (HIA).
Astonishingly, he was judged to have passed the evaluation and returned to action, only to sustain yet another head injury in a heavy challenge.
Following that third impact, the 25-year-old was finally removed from the game, but as he sat on the touchline, he appeared visibly confused and distressed whilst blood streamed from a cut beneath his eyes.
As television cameras focused on him seated on the bench, he seemed to mouth “I’m f****d” to a Tongan staff member.
Shortly afterwards, Katoa was placed onto a stretcher, given oxygen and transported away on a medical cart after experiencing “seizure activity” on the sidelines, his club Melbourne Storm later confirmed.
He was subsequently rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for a brain bleed on Sunday evening. The backrower has since shared an update from hospital, writing on Instagram: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Appreciate everyone for checking in, sorry if I haven’t got back to any of you guys but I really appreciate all the love and the messages Ofa atu (love you).”
Meanwhile, Melbourne Storm officials confirmed on Monday morning that Katoa was in a stable condition, with a club statement reading: “Melbourne Storm forward Eli Katoa was taken to hospital after suffering seizure activity on the bench during the second half of yesterday’s Pacific Championships match between Tonga and New Zealand.
“Eli underwent surgery overnight and is in a stable condition being supported by his partner and mother. Storm medical staff remain in close contact with the hospital and Tonga’s team chief medical officer.”
The incident has triggered fury amongst rugby league supporters, experts and officials, who have demanded answers over how Katoa was cleared to play initially following his collision with Hopoate, let alone allowed back onto the pitch after a second devastating blow to the head.
With video footage of the original collision and its consequences rapidly spreading across social media, the National Rugby League is anticipated to launch an inquiry into how the Tongan star was permitted to take part.
Commentator Andrew Voss expressed his shock at the situation, describing it as “sickening, unbelievable [and] indefensible”, and added: “If I’m Melbourne, I’m saying I want a full detailed description of how that played out. Looking at that incident before the game, that’s category one to my untrained doctor eye. Melbourne wouldn’t send him back on after that.”
However, Tonga’s head coach Kristian Woolf staunchly defended his team’s medical staff for allowing Katoa to continue playing. He said in a post-match interview: “He’s gone to hospital, obviously he wasn’t great on the sideline. I don’t know the full details.
“The doctors have gone with him and I was told he was responsive when he went to hospital. The doctors did the usual HIA, we’ve got two very experienced doctors there. They’ve done their usual HIA and he’s passed all that well.
“My job isn’t to question doctors. They were both comfortable with him coming back onto the field, so I don’t think there’s anything there in terms of worrying about the process.
“Unfortunately I think he’s copped a second hit that was quite heavy and there’s been a poor result out of that. He had two HIAs in the game. He passed his HIA from the first one, then the second one he doesn’t go back on anyway,.
“By all reports he was fine when he came back off, but he deteriorated after that. Everything has been done by the book.”