The struggling Melbourne Storm have been given a much needed boost.
After suffering a stroke in late March, 142-game forward Tui Kamikamica has defied the odds after having successful brain and heart surgery.
The club have announced they are “hopeful” he will play again in 2026, despite initial fears he may never play NRL again.
Recalling the incident, which occurred after the Storm’s loss to the North Queensland Cowboys in round four, Kamikamica said he could not feel the right side of his body and lost his ability to talk.
“The ambulance came … and from there they came up and saw me and they knew straight away something serious had happened,” he said.
“I went straight to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and once I got in there they knew straight away it was a mild stroke.”
He had immediate surgery, followed by a recent second surgery which he said he had to have if he wanted to play again.
The Storm have said there’s no set date for his return, but the 31-year-old confirmed he will “take it easy” for the first two weeks back at training, but said he needed to “tick all the boxes” to ensure a safe return.
“As soon as I came out of surgery, I asked the doctor ‘am I going to play again?’,” Kamikamica said.
“He said yes and I said ‘that’s all I need to know’.
“There’s still a long way to go but I’m glad that they’ve given me the green light to play again this year.”
Kamikamica captains Fiji on the international stage and hoped to return by the end of the year to represent them at the Rugby League World Cup.
“I don’t need to rush back because this is one of those serious injuries,” he said.
“But in saying that, I’ll do everything I can to be able to be out there with the boys, trying to help them throughout the year.”
