Eliesa Katoa
Eliesa Katoa (born 3 January 2000) is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL and for Tonga at international level.
Early life
Katoa was born in Koulo, Ha'apai, Tonga. He moved to New Zealand in 2017 to attend Tamaki College in Auckland, starting with rugby union before being signed by the New Zealand Warriors and switching to rugby league.
Playing career
Katoa made his NRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors in 2020, coming off the bench in Round 1 against Newcastle. He scored his first try in Round 3 of the 2020 season against St George Illawarra. From 2020 to 2022 he played 46 games for the Warriors, scoring 10 tries.
In 2022 he left the Warriors to join the Melbourne Storm on a two-year contract starting in 2023. He made his Storm debut in Round 1 of the 2023 season against Parramatta, earning cap number 226. That year he played 21 games as Melbourne finished third and reached the preliminary final but lost to Penrith. In 2024 he played 25 games as Melbourne were minor premiers and reached the Grand Final, where they lost to Penrith. In 2025 he played 26 games as Melbourne again made the Grand Final, this time losing to Brisbane.
Injury and recovery
On 18 November 2025, after returning to Melbourne from Auckland following surgery, Katoa was ruled out for the entire 2026 season to focus on recovery. Melbourne Storm said he would continue his recovery at home. On 30 November 2025 he posted that he would be back in the future. On 7 January 2026 he was seen training with the Storm but was still ruled out for 2026 while continuing his recovery.
Representative career
During Tonga’s match against New Zealand on 2 November 2025, Katoa suffered a concussion and then additional head injuries. He was stretchered off and underwent surgery after a brain bleed, with the NRL investigating concussion protocols. By 5 November his family said he was in stable condition and would have a long recovery ahead. In December 2025 an investigation found breaches in concussion protocols by three members of Tonga’s medical team; they received two-year bans.
Statistics
NRL career totals (to end of 2025): 118 games, 42 tries, 168 points.
Tonga representation: 6 matches, 2 tries, 8 points.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 22:53 (CET).