{"id":50802,"date":"2026-03-19T17:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=50802"},"modified":"2026-03-19T20:27:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:27:01","slug":"loko-pasifiki-tonga-injury-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/loko-pasifiki-tonga-injury-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragons star Loko Pasifiki Tonga cleared after training scare"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style='background:#f7fafc;padding:15px;'>\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Loko Pasifiki Tonga was cleared of major neck injuries following precautionary scans on Thursday.<\/li>\n<li>The forward has returned to the Dragons&#8217; facility but remains under medical monitoring for the upcoming match.<\/li>\n<li>The club followed standard safety protocols to ensure immediate assessment after the player remained on the ground during training.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>WOLLONGONG (Azat TV) \u2013 <\/strong>St George Illawarra Dragons forward Loko Pasifiki Tonga has returned to the club\u2019s training facility after medical scans confirmed he sustained no major neck injury during a training session on March 19, 2026. The 20-year-old was transported to the hospital by ambulance as a precautionary measure after remaining on the ground following a tackle during a routine drill.<\/p>\n<h2>Medical clearance and club response<\/h2>\n<p>The Dragons issued a statement confirming that Pasifiki Tonga remained conscious and communicative with medical staff throughout the ordeal. Following the completion of scans, the club announced that the forward was cleared of any significant structural damage to his neck. He returned to the team environment on Thursday afternoon, signaling a positive outcome for the rising talent.<\/p>\n<h2>Status for Eels clash<\/h2>\n<p>While the initial scare has passed, Pasifiki Tonga\u2019s participation in the upcoming match against the Parramatta Eels remains uncertain. The club\u2019s medical staff has implemented a monitoring protocol to evaluate his condition over the coming days. A final decision regarding his inclusion in the match-day squad will be made closer to the weekend, pending his recovery and clinical assessment.<\/p>\n<h2>Club protocol for player safety<\/h2>\n<p>The swift response by the Dragons&#8217; medical team highlights the heightened focus on neck and spinal safety in the NRL. By prioritizing immediate hospital transit for scans, the club adhered to standard safety protocols designed to mitigate long-term risks associated with contact-sport injuries. Pasifiki Tonga, who debuted last year and recorded one try in ten appearances, is currently vying for a return to the first-grade rotation after being named to the extended bench for the Round 3 fixture.<\/p>\n<p><em>The immediate transition from a high-alert medical emergency to a confirmed clearance underscores the effectiveness of current NRL injury management protocols, though the lingering requirement for ongoing monitoring reflects the cautious approach clubs must maintain to balance athlete safety with squad availability.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>St George Illawarra Dragons forward Loko Pasifiki Tonga has been cleared of major neck injuries following a precautionary hospital visit on Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[52494,21911,24997,38535],"class_list":["post-50802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-loko-pasifiki-tonga","tag-nrl","tag-rugby-league","tag-st-george-illawarra-dragons"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Loko-Pasifiki-Tonga.jpg","_embedded":{"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":-1,"source_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Loko-Pasifiki-Tonga.jpg","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50802\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}