Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Melbourne Storm forward Tui Kamikamica is recovering in hospital after suffering a suspected stroke.
The 31-year-old collapsed at home in the early hours of Monday and his partner called an ambulance. He is in a stable condition and is expected to remain in hospital in the coming days before being assessed from there. He has not undergone surgery.
“He has undergone treatment for a suspected stroke and is recovering in hospital,” the Storm said in a statement. “Tui is receiving the best possible care and is being supported by hospital specialists, alongside the club’s medical staff.”
Club medical staff believe the episode was the result of an underlying medical issue rather than anything related to football.
Club staff ruled out any ill effects from Saturday’s game against North Queensland in Townsville, in which Kamikamica played 25 minutes off the bench.
The Storm were on a day off and not training on Monday, but players and club officials have visited the front-rower in hospital.
He has played 142 NRL games in his career, all for the Storm, since his debut in 2017 and has made 23 appearances for Fiji.
Kamikamica has appeared in all four matches for Melbourne this season, starting two of them. The Storm face the ladder-leading Penrith Panthers at Commbank Stadium on Friday night.
The captain of his national side, Kamikamica signed a new one-year contract with Melbourne in January.
“Storm was the first club to give me an opportunity to play NRL. It has always been an honour to wear the purple jersey, and I’m excited to remain in Melbourne for 2026 and continue playing alongside my teammates,” he said when his re-signing was announced.
Storm director of football Frank Ponissi described him at the time as “a tremendous servant to our club for the past nine years”.
Before joining the Storm Kamikamica played for Parramatta’s under 20s team and for Eels feeder team Wentworthville Magpies, as well as for Canberra Vikings in the National Rugby Championship.
A former Fiji schoolboys rugby union representative, he moved to Australia at the age of 18.
Melbourne back-rower Eli Katoa has already been sidelined for the season after sustaining multiple head knocks playing for Tonga against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland last December.
His future in the NRL is uncertain, with Storm coach Craig Bellamy telling Seven’s The Agenda Setters program last week that he didn’t know whether the 26-year-old would play again.
Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
