Eli Katoa declares 'I'll be back' in emotional Instagram post after brain surgery

Eli Katoa has declared his desire to return to the NRL despite being ruled out for the 2026 season.

The forward won't play for Melbourne next year following Tonga's Pacific Championships clash with New Zealand, after which he underwent emergency surgery for a brain bleed.

Katoa was knocked out in the warm-up and sustained two more concussions during the game.

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The Melbourne Storm back-rower took to Instagram to express gratitude for the well-wishes and medical staff.

"First of all, I would like to say how grateful I am to get to where I am today," he wrote.

"I wanna say a huge thank you to everyone who prayed, visited, sent me a message and checked in on me. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry if I haven't got back to you, I will get back to you guys soon. To all of my family, thank you for the love and support."

Katoa also thanked Tonga Rugby League, praising the "quality time" spent in camp.

"I love playing for our little kingdom," he said.

The 25-year-old thanked his partner and the Storm before expressing his desire to return in the future.

"I'm back at home at the moment and I'm in a good place now. My recovery is going well and hopefully I can keep ticking all of the boxes that I need," he said.

"And to the Storm fans, in God's timing 'I'll be back soon'."

The NRL is yet to reveal its findings into the process where Katoa was allowed back on the field.

Melbourne has reportedly locked in Jack Hetherington as a replacement to Katoa for next year.