Former Catalans Dragons star Elliott Whitehead has hit out at the way the club handled his career-ending back injury – insisting he felt their medical staff ‘weren’t really bothered’ about his troubles.

Whitehead is back in Australia starting his coaching career with Canberra Raiders, the club with whom he enjoyed immense success as a player in the NRL.

That is after temporarily returning to Super League for one season to finish his playing career with Catalans, the second time he had played for the Dragons following a move there earlier in his career.

But Whitehead, speaking to reporters in Australia, has not held back at how he felt he was treated by the Dragons’ medical team.

His career was cut short after a season-ending back injury that has still left him without the full movement of his toes. He underwent surgery for the problem, but had to remain in France due to regulations that meant if he went back to Australia early, he wouldn’t get paid.

And incredibly, he has revealed how Catalans staff told him they were unable to get him scanned when he pleaded for a check on the injury after it first happened in May: due to the amount of tourists that were in the Perpignan region.

“I’ve got a little bit more movement in my toes. I can curl them now, I couldn’t use to do that,” he said. “I can lift them up a little bit … but it’s getting better, slowly.

“I was pretty disappointed with the medical staff over there at Catalans. I felt like there were times when they weren’t really bothered about me.

“I asked them for scans and they kept saying, ‘Oh, we can’t get you in there’s too many tourists’. And I’m like, ‘You’re a professional club, what do you mean there’s too many tourists for a scan?’

“So a bit disappointed because I really enjoyed my time at Catalans the time before, but just didn’t enjoy it one bit this time.”

Whitehead also conceded that whole situation, as well as Catalans’ policy on injuries, left him at peace with the decision to call time on his playing days.

“It was hard. Being over there on my own, the language barrier, not knowing many people around the area, it took a big hit on me,” Whitehead said. “I won’t lie. It made it worse, because if I could I’d have packed up and left and come back here and probably got treatment from the physios here.

“But because of how it works over there, once you get injured Catalans put you on a government insurance where you’re not allowed to leave France or you don’t get paid.

“I think it helped me come to the realisation that my time as a player had come to an end, which is probably a positive in that aspect.”

Whitehead will help with Canberra’s Jersey Flegg team in 2026, beginning his career as a coach after an illustrious playing career.