MELBOURNE, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Former New Zealand and Samoa rugby league winger Matt Utai is in hospital in serious condition after being shot multiple times outside a Sydney home on Tuesday in what police described as a "brazen ambush".
The 44-year-old, who won a National Rugby League championship with Canterbury in 2004, had emergency surgery after suffering gun-shot wounds in his lower leg and upper chest-shoulder area.
"We strongly believe that this is a targeted attack," New South Wales Police Superintendent Rodney Hart told reporters.
"We believe that it was two males, a gun-man and a driver of a white, possibly SUV (sports utility vehicle).
"We are concerned about this brazen attack."
Utai's former Canterbury teammate Mark O'Meley said Utai was "breathing OK" while being treated in hospital.
"Everyone has been on the group chat all morning, we just hope he's OK," he said in comments published by The Australian newspaper.
The incident happened about 6 a.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Tuesday in the western suburb of Greenacres.
An SUV matching the description of the one involved in the shooting was found on fire at a nearby suburb a short time later.
Police were treating the incidents as linked and established crime scenes at both locations.
Hart said there was no ongoing threat to the community but called for help from the public to provide information and supply video of the incident.
Hart said Utai was not suspected of being involved in organised crime.
"He has a small amount of traffic history, but at least we do believe that he may not be involved in any [criminal] activity," Hart said.
Utai's son Iziah was convicted of drug and gun possession charges in 2023 and handed an 18-month jail sentence, with police alleging he had links to a local organised crime network.
Auckland-born Utai was capped four times for New Zealand from 2002-05 and three times for Samoa in 2008.
He scored 85 tries in a 167-game NRL career at Sydney-based teams Canterbury and Wests Tigers.
Canterbury said in a statement they were deeply shocked and saddened by the attack.
"Our thoughts are with Matt and his family during this extremely difficult time. We are hoping and praying for his full recovery," it said.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; editing by Neil Fullick and Lincoln Feast)
