Tonga’s preparations for the upcoming 2026 Rugby League World Cup have been handed a major encouraging update, with star speed and center Tolu Koula on track to be fully fit for the nation’s opening tournament match, according to his Manly Sea Eagles club coach Kieran Foran.
Koula suffered a high-grade two syndesmosis ankle injury during last week’s victory over the Newcastle Knights, when he was taken out of the game by a high-impact hip-drop tackle from Knights winger Dom Young. The injury has ruled the 8-cap Tongan international out for the remainder of the 2026 National Rugby League (NRL) regular season, even in the extremely unlikely scenario that Manly claw their way into the finals and advance all the way to the grand decider. NRL physiotherapy experts have noted that the mechanism of the tackle — where the tackler’s full weight lands on the outside of a trapped lower leg, forcing the ankle outward and knee inward — creates elevated risk for both syndesmosis and medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries.
In a positive twist for both Koula and Tonga’s World Cup campaign, Foran confirmed that the injury will not require surgical intervention. The young back is expected to complete a four-week rehabilitation program to restore full strength and flexibility to his injured ankle, putting him on track to be match-ready for Tonga’s first World Cup fixture against England on October 17.
“It’s looking like he’ll be out for a month. It’s disappointing, but there’s not much you can do about it,” Foran told reporters. “He’s a really positive young guy. He’s naturally disappointed that the injury has happened, but he’s got to get on with his rehab and get his ankle back to full strength and full flexibility. They (the medical team) are pretty comfortable and confident that they’ll be able to rehab it without surgery, so that’s a bonus for him. He’s looking to get himself right for that campaign.”
Foran also touched on his club’s current position in the NRL ladder, with Manly holding an extremely slim chance of qualifying for the finals after snapping a six-game losing streak with the win over Newcastle. After opening the season with three consecutive losses that led to the early departure of former head coach Anthony Seibold, Foran said the club has focused on incremental growth and sticking to its process to close out the season.
Realistically, Manly needs to win its remaining two matches against the Dragons and Warriors, and rely on upset losses from three of the top-eight contenders South Sydney Rabbitohs, North Queensland Cowboys and Canterbury Bulldogs to secure a finals spot. Foran said the squad is keeping its focus on its own performance rather than speculating on external results.
“We’re trying not to put our focus on external results,” he said. “We’ve got to focus on what we need to get right against the Dragons on Friday evening. If we get that part right then we’ve done our role there. Then it’s about hoping that results fall our way. We don’t want to put our energy into that because then we’ll miss the mark on what we need to do in our backyard. We’re really proud of the growth in the footy that we’ve played. We found ourselves in a really challenging patch for a bit that we would have loved to have been able to come away with a few more wins and put ourselves right up there. I think we’ve done the best job possible, and that’s all you can do.”