It is understood the NRL has agreed to grant Tonga's medical staff more time to decide whether to fight their two-year bans for the handling of Eliesa Katoa's repeated head knocks.
Tonga medical staff who were last week handed breach notices relating to the Katoa concussion will have their fate determined next year.
Head doctor Peter Hackney, his assistant Hoani McFater and head trainer Jonathan Crawley are all facing two-year suspensions from any NRL competition or ARLC-associated event.
The trio work with the Dolphins, Warriors and North Queensland respectively.
It is understood at least one of the medical staff is seriously considering challenging the sanctions.
A fourth, Warriors physio Steve Dean, was handed a formal warning.
Katoa required urgent surgery after he suffered bleeding on the brain and seizure activity following three hits to the head in the space of two hours.
The Storm second-rower was deemed not to require a full HIA after Tonga teammate Will Hopoate accidentally collected him in the head in the warm up.
Katoa then passed an off-field HIA after another head knock in the first half of the match, before his game was ended by a third knock after halftime.
He then fell ill on the sideline and was rushed to hospital, and while the 25-year-old is back running he has already been ruled out of at least the entire 2026 season.
Australian Associated Press
