Former National Rugby League star Matt Utai is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot multiple times. The shooting is said to have taken place on his front garden, with police treating the attack as an ambush with no clear motive. Utai, who represented both New Zealand and Samoa internationally, was part of the Canterbury Bulldogs team that won the 2004 championship. He has been left with significant leg wounds after the shooting, which took place in Greenacre, western Sydney.

A police statement read: “About 6am today, emergency services were called to Macquarie Street, Greenacre, following reports of a public place shooting. Officers attached to Bankstown Police Area Command attended and were told a man had been shot outside a home by the occupants of an SUV before it drove away.

“The man – aged 44 – was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics for multiple gunshot wounds before being taken to hospital in a serious condition. A short time later police were called to Samuel Street, Wiley Park, following reports of a car fire. Police attended and found an SUV well alight.”

It continued: “The fire was extinguished by Fire and Rescue NSW and the car was seized for forensic examination. Police have established crime scenes at both locations with Bankstown detectives commencing an investigation and treating both incidents as linked.”

Meanwhile, NSW police superintendent Rodney Hart added: “The person that is currently in hospital … is known to police but he has no criminal history… We have seen fire bombings and shootings.

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“At this point in time, it is early in the investigation, so investigators need to link those parts together to identify if this certain shooting is linked to any other organised crime or recent activity in Sydney.”

Utai was a much-loved rugby player during his career, with Canterbury sending thoughts to their ex-player in a statement. The rugby team said: “Matt is a beloved part of the Bulldogs family. He played 127 first-grade games for the club and was instrumental in the 2004 premiership.

“Our thoughts are with Matt and his family during this extremely difficult time. We are hoping and praying for his full recovery.”

While former team-mate Reni Maitua said: “We’ve all stayed in contact through our whatsapp group and kept updated on his condition through a close friend of Matt’s. We, as a group, love Matty and hope he makes a full recovery. Whatever has transpired for this to happen, we hope it is resolved peacefully.”