Overview
- The NRL issued breach notices proposing two-year suspensions for Tonga’s head doctor, assistant doctor and head trainer, with a formal warning for the yellow-shirt trainer.
- The proposed penalties would bar the officials from roles across NRL, representative and ARLC-run competitions, with mandatory concussion-management training required.
- The individuals have five business days to respond to the notices, so the sanctions are not yet final.
- Eli Katoa was involved in a warm-up collision, then sustained further head knocks in the ninth and 51st minutes, failed a head injury assessment and suffered a seizure on the sideline.
- Katoa underwent emergency surgery to drain fluid from his brain and has been ruled out of the 2026 NRL season on medical advice.