Former NRL star Matt Utai is in a “critical condition” after being shot multiple times outside his home in Sydney, Australia.
New South Wales Police confirmed Utai, 44, sustained a gunshot wound to his lower leg and to his shoulder and upper chest area during a drive-by shooting in the south-west Sydney suburb of Greenacre.
Superintendent Rodney Hart said the 44-year-old was in a serious but stable condition after undergoing surgery.
“This was definitely targeted,” Supt Hart said.
“It’s a brazen ambush. Whether the victim was the intended target or it was somebody that he knows or associates with or is related to will all form part of the investigation.”
Police said shots were fired from a white SUV, which was later found burned out in nearby Wiley Park. The vehicle has been recovered for forensic testing.
NRL career
Utai played 167 NRL games across spells with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Wests Tigers.
He scored two tries in the 2004 NRL Grand Final when Canterbury defeated the Sydney Roosters.
Utai also represented New Zealand at Test level, earning his first call-up in 2002 and making four appearances, before switching allegiance to Samoa for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, where he scored two tries in three matches.
Police investigations are ongoing.
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