Bellamy reveals devastating Eliesa Katoa update

Melbourne Storm head coach Craig Bellamy has revealed star second-rower Eliesa Katoa may never play again.

Katoa has been ruled out of the 2026 season in its entirety after suffering a traumatic head injury while playing for Tonga during the 2025 Pacific Championships.

The second-rower, who was named to the Dally M team of the year in 2025, and also named Melbourne player of the year in a side who made the grand final, underwent brain surgery in New Zealand after he suffered a bleed.

His eventual return to Australia has seen a slow commencement to his rehabilitation, although he is working with young Storm players and is now Melbourne's blue shirt trainer as he looks to remain involved in the club.

Whether he is ever allowed to commence contact again remains to be seen though, with Bellamy hoping for the best, but telling Channel 7s new show The Agenda Setters that it's unclear what result the doctors will produce later in the year.

"I don't know if he'll play next year… I don't know if he'll play again," Bellamy said on the show.

“The doctors haven't made that decision, and I don't know when that decision will get made to be quite honest.

“I imagine after a certain amount of time he'll have more tests and go from there.

“It was a major injury, and we want him to live the rest of his life in a normal way.

“So fingers crossed.

“But we'd love to have him back playing footy, and playing with us. He was one hell of a player. Last year he won our player of the year.”

Bellamy said on the show that Katoa has already made a difference around the club, particularly with young forward Cooper Clarke who has been a surprise addition to Melbourne's match day squad during the opening rounds of the season.

The new second-row combination with Shawn Blore also out, being Joe Chan and Ativalu Lisati, have also benefited greatly from Katoa's experience and training around the club.

The second-rower has promised to return to the NRL one day, but the best case scenario is a 2027 return to action for the representative star.