Kristian Woolf slams Katoa debate, calls for NRL concussion review

Three months after Eli Katoa suffered a brain injury representing Tonga in the Pacific Championships, heat still rises when reflecting on that day last season.  

One head knock that would turn into three saw the NRL have an investigation that proposed two-year suspensions for Tonga's medical staff.

The staff are currently appealing these bans. 

For the first time, Kristian Woolf spoke about the situation and hopes another play does not experience the same situation as Eli Katoa.

“It's a horrible situation that I hope we never see again and no one else has to go through at any stage,” Woolf told NewsCorp.

“What everyone wants to do is try and find someone to blame in the situation.

“What's been lost or forgotten is that Eli is the most important person in this and how life-changing it has been for him.

“He's not close to playing. He's been ruled out for the year and that is the right decision, but it's great to see him living a very normal life and in such good physical and mental condition, considering where he was.

“In the desire for everyone to find someone to blame, he's been forgotten a little bit.”

Katoa suffered head knocks before Tonga's clash with New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland on November 2, with pre-game broadcast footage capturing the back-rower's collision with Lehi Hopoate in the warm-up.

The Melbourne Storm forward would pass a head knock assessment after the first before being ruled out after the second.

The situation would then escalate, with Katoa experiencing seizure activity before being taken to hospital where he would have surgery on a brain bleed.

Woolf revealed that the staff were not shown the broadcast footage at the time of the head knocks, but the next morning as Katoa was in the hospital.

“Everyone is judging the situation on vision that was shown on broadcasts that showed a really heavy knock (in the warm-up),” he said.

“I can wholeheartedly say we were shown the vision of that knock in the warm-up at 1.30am (the next morning) when I caught a cab home from the Auckland hospital with the head doctor and head trainer.

“No one had seen that before that point. I was completely unaware of that vision, even when the game had concluded.

“Footage is very important when assessing the severity of head knocks. The staff did what they could with the information they had at the time.”

Woolf, who didn't speak about Katoa and the situation with his staff out of respect for the player and his family, is disheartened by the commentary surrounding the player, stating the incident wouldn't have happened in the NRL.

"I'm not going to go into any detail about conversations or whether people made mistakes because there is a process that needs to be followed through properly,” Woolf said.

“Some of the suggestions that it wouldn't happen in the NRL, or that people are reckless or negligent, are really ill-informed and said without repercussion.

“All those people that have been sanctioned and all the staff that are involved with Tonga work in the NRL on a full-time basis or have done for a very long time.

“It's been really disappointing for me watching people's reputations and the impact the situation's had on them be completely disregarded.

“Those people care for players and don't make reckless decisions. I hate the fact that they've been painted that way.”

The Dolphins and Tonga coach suggested how the NRL could take steps to assure the situation doesn't happen again, and how it would alleviate medical staff pressure and improve the safety and well-being of the players.

- Pre-match warm-ups be filmed and observed by club and independent doctors.

- A pre-game briefing for medical officials to not clash with warm-ups.

- Automatic activation of the 18th man for any concussion-related incident, not just foul play.

- Pre-game head injury assessments to be included in the ‘two strikes' HIA policy.

- Broadcasts to be monitored and pertinent information communicated to club officials.

“I hope the processes in place around warm-ups and concussion are looked at as thoroughly as what actions the staff might have or might not have taken," Woolf said.

After spending days in Auckland post Katoa's surgery in hospital, Woolf remained by the player's side and hopes there's an ounce of good to come from this monstrous situation.

“It's great to see how well he's going,” Woolf said.

“It's a terrible situation and I feel for everyone involved. There are a lot of people that have been impacted.

“I hope the NRL considers these things and that we never see it again.”