The Pacific Championships 2025 has delivered stirring scenes of national pride, but for two Melbourne Storm National Rugby League (NRL) team-mates, the Pacific tournament has turned into a confronting reminder of the sport’s physical and emotional toll.

Just 24 hours before Tonga forward Eliesa Katoa suffered a series of terrifying head knocks against New Zealand, his Storm club-mate Tui Kamikamica was concussed while captaining Fiji against Papua New Guinea.

Both men, bound by Melbourne colours and Pacific roots, now sit at the centre of rugby league’s growing debate over player welfare and the game’s duty of care.

Katoa’s ordeal started before kick-off in Auckland when he was struck in the head by team-mate Lehi Hopoate during the warm-up - a hit so severe that, according to reports, it should have ruled him out on the spot.

But he took the field and, within minutes, he was hit again.

After just nine minutes, Katoa required a head-injury assessment following another collision that left him with a split eye. He passed that test and played on, but a third head knock in the 51st minute finally forced him from the game.

Moments later, a shocking vision showed the 24-year-old being loaded onto a medicab wearing an oxygen mask as team-mates looked on in distress. He was taken to the hospital with seizure symptoms and underwent surgery for bleeding on the brain.

New Zealand Warriors great Shaun Johnson is “staggered” that Katoa had been allowed to play. “I feel a bit angry about the situation,” he told the Play On Sport Show.

“I don’t get how it can even get to that point… There are going to be some heads that are rolled because I do not know how Eli Katoa was allowed to take the field.”

Warriors legend Shaun Johnson at a luncheon for former players and “old boys” at Go Media Mt Smart Stadium on Thursday 28 August 2025. Johnson has been critical of the Tongan team's handling of Eliesa Katoa's situation ahead of Sunday's Pacific Championships match against the New Zealand Kiwis who won 40-14. Photo/Photosport/Andrew Cornaga/

On the SEN 1170, another sports show, Bryan Fletcher and Joel Caine echoed Johnson’s fury. “Someone’s got to answer to this,” Fletcher said. “You can’t tell if you’ve got bleeding on the brain unless you get a scan… imagine if the second or third knock now (means) he has to retire. It’s hectic.”

“It’s very, very scary,” Caine shared. Fellow Pacific internationals Junior Paulo and Jarome Luai joined the chorus of concern:

“Prayers go out to Eli and his family through this tough period,” Paulo told News Corp. “There are protocols around that and should be followed… putting your health before your job, that’s probably the main outcome that we really want to take out of it.”

Luai added, “It’s heart-breaking to hear and it’s a plea to look after our players and to ultimately look after yourself.”

Match commentator Andrew Voss called the decision “indefensible”. “Oh my goodness. Sickening. Unbelievable situation,” Voss states on SEN. “If I’m Melbourne, I’m saying I want a full, detailed description of how that played out.”

From his hospital bed, Katoa later posted on Instagram: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Appreciate everyone for checking in… really appreciative of all the love and messages.”

Eliesa Katoa, of Tonga, takes on the New Zealand defence with a cut under his eye during the Kiwis v Tonga XIII, round 3 of the Pacific Championships at Eden Park, Auckland, on Sunday 2 November 2025. Katoa later suffered a seizure on the team's bench and was rushed to the hospital. Photo/Photosport/Fiona Goodall

Katoa's Storm team-mate suffers same fate

While Katoa begins his recovery, fellow Storm forward Tui Kamikamica suffered his own setback, and likely the final blow to his NRL career.

The 31-year-old Fiji Bati captain was desperate to impress in his Pacific Championships match against the PNG Kumuls, hoping to earn a new Melbourne contract. But just 16 minutes into the game, he suffered a category-one concussion and was ruled out immediately.

It comes amid contract uncertainty for the 138-game veteran. Kamikamica’s current deal includes a mutual option for 2026, but the Storm have reportedly offered only the NRL minimum salary of AU$140,000 (NZ$160,340) - a AU$260,000 (NZ$183,250) pay cut.

His manager, Jeff Jurotte, told the Courier Mail in Brisbane that, “Tui would love to finish his career at Melbourne, but they have salary-cap pressures…

"He has had an offer from the Storm and he has interest from St Helens, but his preference is to stay in Australia.”

Tui Kamikamica was ruled to have suffered a category-one concussion. Photo/Scott Davis/NRL

The blow follows last month’s grand final heartbreak, when Kamikamica’s dropped ball near the tryline proved a turning point in the Storm’s 26-22 NRL Premiership loss to the Brisbane Broncos.

Storm coach Craig Bellamy told a post-match interview: “With that lead we had (we should have won)… the dropped ball over the line was a big turning point.”

For Katoa and Kamikamica, two proud Pacific warriors and Storm team-mates, the past fortnight has been a brutal reminder of the fine line between courage and catastrophe.

As both men face uncertain paths ahead, their stories have reignited the sport’s biggest question: how much risk is too much for the game they love?