Updated ,first published
Police investigating the drive-by shooting of former NRL star Matt Utai outside his family home in Sydney are probing his son’s links to a notorious crime family, saying the former Bulldogs and West Tigers winger is an innocent casualty in an escalating gang war.
The 44-year-old was found severely wounded on the front lawn of his Greenacre property in the city’s south-west after being shot in the chest and leg on Tuesday morning.
Emergency services were called to the Macquarie Street about 6am after reports of multiple gunshots being fired by occupants of an SUV.
Four ambulances were dispatched to Greenacre, where they discovered Utai conscious and in a “fair amount of pain”, according to Bankstown Police Area Command Superintendent Rodney Hart.
Utai was rushed to hospital in a serious condition, and was undergoing surgery hours after the attack.
Police say he was walking to his car outside the home he shares with his wife and children when the “brazen ambush” began.
“He was able to speak to police upon their arrival, before ambulance took over, did a fantastic job of stabilising him and getting him to the hospital where he’s undergoing the care that he needs,” Hart said.
Police were then called to nearby Samuel Street in Wiley Park, where they found a burnt-out SUV suspected to have been used in the shooting. The car was seized for forensic examination after the fire was extinguished by Fire and Rescue NSW.
Crime scenes have been established at both locations. Bankstown detectives are treating the incidents as linked.
Matt Utai has no criminal history and is not believed to be involved in criminal activity, according to Hart.
Police from the anti-gang squads believe the former NRL player was an unintended target of the shooting, and are investigating his son Iziah’s links to the Alameddine crime family and arson attacks on a barbershop under Iziah Utai’s name.
Iziah was described as an Alameddine associate after he was charged over gun and drug offences in 2023 by police investigating drug supply around Parramatta.
In June that year, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to at least nine months in prison without parole for possessing guns and ammunition, including a shortened pump-action .22 rifle.
He had been arrested at his Toongabbie townhouse by the anti-bikie police squad Raptor, who are now investigating his father’s shooting.
In 2025, Iziah opened Merrylands Barbershop on Merrylands Road and posted on Google “new management, open 6 days a week” along with a five-star review of his new business.
Business records confirm Iziah registered the business in August 2024 under his own name.
In May last year the shop was torched twice in two nights. CCTV captured an unknown male setting himself on fire as he tried to light accelerant.
Police chased a car with cloned plates through the city’s west shortly after the second attack. Weeks later a 16-year-old boy was charged with allegedly lighting the fires.
The investigation into the barbershop arson attacks was taken up by the anti-gang squads who became Taskforce Falcon, tasked with stamping out warring gangs.
It’s unclear whether Iziah Utai was at the home at the time of the shooting.
Multiple bullets appeared to have struck the door of a work ute out the front of the Greenacre home. A nearby truck was covered in fingerprinting dust from forensic officers. Syringe and medical wrappers were scattered on the lawn where Utai was treated by paramedics.
Former teammate Brent Sherwin, the halfback during Canterbury’s 2004 grand final win against the Roosters, said he was devastated by the news.
“My heart goes out to his partner and kids. We’re praying he comes through. I wish him all the best and hope he is OK. We’re praying he’s all right,” Sherwin said.
Sherwin said the Bulldogs’ 2004 premiership wouldn’t have been possible if not for the two tries Utai scored in the decider.
“He was a massive part of our team, not just scoring tries, but taking the hard carries on our own line,” Sherwin said.
“He never shirked away from any of it, he put his hand up and took it all. He had a big heart. We’re praying he will be OK.”
Premiership-winning prop Mark O’Meley said that Utai was “breathing OK” as he continues to receive treatment.
“Everyone has been on the group chat all morning, we just hope he’s OK,” he said.
Another Bulldogs teammate, Reni Maitua, said he had spoken with one of Utai’s best friends, who had spent time at the family house early on Tuesday.
“He’s breathing on his own, and they’ve said he’s ‘critical but stable’,” Maitua said.
“I’m just really shocked and saddened by the news. I know it’s shaken up all the boys.”
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs said they were “deeply shocked and saddened” to learn of the incident.
“Matt is a beloved part of the Bulldogs family,” the club statement read. “Our thoughts are with Matt and his family during this extremely difficult time. We are hoping and praying for his full recovery.”
Utai, born in Auckland in 1981, burst onto the rugby league scene for the Bulldogs in 2002, earning the Dally M Rookie of the Year award after a first-season return that included 13 tries and 15 line-breaks.
Utai represented New Zealand on the international stage, earning a call-up following his debut first grade season. He played for the Kiwis on four occasions, before representing Samoa at the 2008 World Cup, at which he scored two tries in three matches.
He left the Bulldogs in 2009 after several years marred by injury. A move to Super League side Celtic Crusaders was aborted in 2010 amid concerns about an injury. He signed for the Wests Tigers in 2011, and stayed until the end of his playing career in 2013.
He scored 85 tries across 167 games for the Canterbury Bulldogs and Wests Tigers.
Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.
Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.