Concussions and Protecting Our Players

[Braveheart81]

The story in The Guardian is pretty sobering.

Eli Katoa’s playing future uncertain as recovery from head impacts, seizures and brain surgery continues

Storm star faces weeks in hospital but condition stabilised while the NRL is investigating why Katoa played after warmup head injury

www.theguardian.com

 

[Wilson]

The story in The Guardian is pretty sobering.

Eli Katoa’s playing future uncertain as recovery from head impacts, seizures and brain surgery continues

Storm star faces weeks in hospital but condition stabilised while the NRL is investigating why Katoa played after warmup head injury

www.theguardian.com

He's been ruled out for the 2026 season at least:

Storm Update: Eli Katoa

Melbourne Storm can confirm that Eli Katoa has returned safely home to Melbourne from Auckland.

www.melbournestorm.com.au

There's a lot more to come on this one, but I suspect in a few years we will look back at it as a defining event for head injury protocols, at least in our part of the world.

 

[Braveheart81]

There's a lot more to come on this one, but I suspect in a few years we will look back at it as a defining event for head injury protocols, at least in our part of the world.

You would have to think this leads to a large lawsuit against the NRL.

 

[Strewthcobber]

You would have to think this leads to a large lawsuit against the NRL.

Playing for Tonga?

Edit - after a quick Google, tournament funded by Australia gov and administered by NRL. Sounds like a complicated lawsuit

 

[Braveheart81]

Playing for Tonga?

It seems to me that the Pacific Championships is effectively an NRL property.

 

[Major Tom]

Playing for Tonga?

Yeah it’ll be interesting who gets sued. Perhaps it’s on the doctors?

 

[Wilson]

Yeah, the NRL in this case are in the same role we'd see SANZAAR or World Rugby in. They're very much on the hook here for any lawsuit.

But even outside of that this looks like a complete failure of the processes at every level, and as lax as the NRL may look at times, their HIA processes are more or less the same as ours (I'm not sure they use smart mouth guards though). There should be significant strengthening of the detection and reporting mechanisms as a result of this, and in our game as well as theirs - though I'd like to think it would've been different, is there anything to stop a rugby union player taking the field if they receive a head knock displaying category/criteria 1 concussion symptoms in the warm up?

 

[Ignoto]

He's been ruled out for the 2026 season at least:

Storm Update: Eli Katoa

Melbourne Storm can confirm that Eli Katoa has returned safely home to Melbourne from Auckland.

www.melbournestorm.com.au

There's a lot more to come on this one, but I suspect in a few years we will look back at it as a defining event for head injury protocols, at least in our part of the world.

I can’t imagine any insurer would be willing to cover his return to a contact sport even after 2026. From a legality perspective it’s a nightmare to unpack who’s going to have to cover his potentially loss of income from never playing again.

I hope we never find our society in this situation again. Just terrible.

 

[Major Tom]

Yeah, the NRL in this case are in the same role we'd see SANZAAR or World Rugby in. They're very much on the hook here for any lawsuit.

But even outside of that this looks like a complete failure of the processes at every level, and as lax as the NRL may look at times, their HIA processes are more or less the same as ours (I'm not sure they use smart mouth guards though). There should be significant strengthening of the detection and reporting mechanisms as a result of this, and in our game as well as theirs - though I'd like to think it would've been different, is there anything to stop a rugby union player taking the field if they receive a head knock displaying category/criteria 1 concussion symptoms in the warm up?

If they get smart mouthguards the HIAs will surely go through the roof!

 

[Major Tom]

Yeah, the NRL in this case are in the same role we'd see SANZAAR or World Rugby in. They're very much on the hook here for any lawsuit.

But even outside of that this looks like a complete failure of the processes at every level, and as lax as the NRL may look at times, their HIA processes are more or less the same as ours (I'm not sure they use smart mouth guards though). There should be significant strengthening of the detection and reporting mechanisms as a result of this, and in our game as well as theirs - though I'd like to think it would've been different, is there anything to stop a rugby union player taking the field if they receive a head knock displaying category/criteria 1 concussion symptoms in the warm up?

So did he sustain 3 concussions on the day, 1 being in the warm up? Is it the doctors stuffing up? Or did they not have access to the vision? The warm up one was weird how it wasn’t picked up. How those players got into that situation in a warm up before the game I will never know?