Former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs winger Matt Utai suffered gunshot wounds to his leg and shoulder during a targeted drive-by shooting outside his Greenacre home in southwest Sydney. The incident occurred just before 6 a.m. on Tuesday, leaving the 44-year-old in serious condition after emergency surgery.
Details of the Attack
Security footage captures Utai exiting his duplex on Macquarie Street, unlocking his Toyota Hilux, and opening the driver’s door. A white SUV parked across the street then deployed a gunman from its rear door, who opened fire. Remarkably, Utai charged toward the shooter before the assailant retreated into the vehicle, joined by a second figure. The SUV sped away as Utai staggered down the street, collapsed on his front lawn, and awaited help.
Police established a crime scene at the location, with detectives tagging evidence throughout Tuesday morning. Shortly after, authorities responded to a burning SUV on Samuel Street in nearby Wiley Park. Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the blaze, and the vehicle underwent forensic analysis. Investigators link the fire to the shooting.
Investigation into Family Connections
Detectives now examine links between Utai’s 24-year-old son, Iziah Tafeamalii Utai, and the notorious Alameddine crime family. The probe follows a firebombing of Iziah’s Merrylands barber shop eight months prior, carried out by a teenager associated with the Alameddines.
Iziah has a documented criminal record, including convictions for firearms, drugs, and robbery. In 2019, authorities charged him, leading to an 18-month Community Corrections Order in 2020 for armed robbery, expiring in February 2022. Additional penalties included a 12-month order for drug possession in 2021 and a two-year Conditional Release Order for drug-related driving in 2021. He breached conditions in 2023, pleading guilty to firearms and drug charges, resulting in an 18-month jail term with a nine-month non-parole period, making him parole-eligible in October 2023.
Matt Utai maintains a clean record and faces no suspicion of involvement, according to Superintendent Rodney Hart of Bankstown Police Area Command. It remains unclear if Iziah was home during the attack.
Emerging Gang Theories
Speculation points to the ‘Coconut Cartel,’ a breakaway group of former Kaiviti Family members with Islander and Fijian ties. Once aligned with the Alameddines, the cartel reportedly fell out after a hiring dispute and may link to recent Alameddine-related firebombings.
“Whether the victim was the intended target or it was somebody that he knows or associates with, or he’s related to, will form part of the investigation,” Superintendent Hart stated.
Witness Accounts
A neighbor, who heard five shots, described the chaos: “I was asleep in the lounge room and my mum was making breakfast for my dad. All we heard is gunshots. I heard five shots. Then he started yelling. He was screaming.” She spotted Utai on the grass near a black car, unable to move, before paramedics transported him. “He was aware, but in a lot of pain,” she added. The quiet street, typically safe, left residents shaken by the speeding getaway vehicle.
The Raptor squad, specializing in bikie gangs and organized crime, leads the probe. Police seek the SUV driver and gunman.
