I feel for the players and their families eh. They will be very worried for their mate. No closure the way things ended after a big loss and exiting the tournament, quite emotionally distressing for the Tongan playing group.
Hopefully, the senior players take a stance internally and demand answers (probably won't because of the chance you get overlooked on the next selection cycle).
But this is an example of where player power is important, when no one else is looking out for you, this is when players voices should be heard.
I keep thinking about
Shaun Johnson's reaction in the SKY build up to the sickening scenes of the warm up knock out -
SJ say's what we all are thinking "surely he cannot play after that".
As someone else pointed out, Bellamy's voice is likely to be powerful in the background in all of this. It shits me that you need to rely on that type of dynamic (Katoa is a super star from a Super club) one wonders if the noise would be as loud for someone like Havili for example....would a relative nobody in the NRL pop culture garner as much concern and advocacy as a high profile super star? [rhetorical].
Anyway, I like everyone else was wondering how Katoa passed the HIA after the warm up TKO (it really was a technical knock out in boxing parlance).
It never occurred to me that they passed Katoa by not testing him.
The whole world can see he was Category one under the NRL rules (failing to protect himself as he falls clause in "CAT One immediate 11 day stand down" criteria met).
If ever there were a moment for the RL players association to prove their worth this is it.
Eli Katoa lucky to be running out for Tonga today after copping a brutal friendly fire hit during the warm up! Must have passed all concussion assessments - hopefully no more heavy blows to the head...
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