After four years in the first-grade, one year with Melbourne Storm has seen Eli Katoa reach his first NRL Finals run.
A former New Zealand Warrior, the second rower found himself in the bottom eight for the first three years of his career. Now, 20 rounds after pulling on the purple jersey, a Finals run has been a well-deserved reward for the 23-year-old's burst of improvement across the pond.
“I've always dreamed of playing in finals but yeah, I’m excited for this week.” said Katoa.
A quite personality, the Tongan has consistently become an explosive, yet simple presence on-field meshing a solid defensive game with a crafty ability in attack that has seen him score six tries and directly assist four so far in 2023.
A stripped-back, dynamic playing style that has only developed further as Storm ride the ups and downs of the pointy-end of the year.
“I feel like the last couple of weeks, especially from that loss that we had against the Broncos, it's kind of a reminder how we just need to do all the little things right,” he said.
“All those areas, which we did last week, it shows in the game. We hang in there.”
The persevering, positive attitude could not be timelier as the Melbourne side prepare to take on the reigning premiers in the upcoming Preliminary Final.
And while the men in purple may be the underdogs, Katoa maintains an unphased composure – excited for what’s to come.
“I imagine everyone will be up for this week's game,” the forward added.
“It's exciting, we know how good they are and we’re looking forward to what’s going to be a physical game.”
Katoa: "I've always dreamed of playing FInals"
