15yo boy among alleged gunmen charged with shooting former NRL star

The alleged gunmen behind a shooting that left former NRL star Matt Utai fighting for life outside his western Sydney home have been charged.

The former Bulldogs and Tigers NRL star was found writhing on the front lawn of his Macquarie St home in Greenacre shortly after 6am on Tuesday morning after he was shot twice outside his home while on his way to work.

The 44-year-old suffered gunshot wounds to his stomach and leg before he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, with police earlier telling reporters he was “initially in a bad way”.

Police have now charged a 25-year-old man and 15-year-old boy with shooting with intent to murder and participating in a criminal group over the alleged shooting.

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The adult was further charged with possessing a prohibited drug.

They were both refused bail and are due to front court on Saturday morning.

The breakthrough follows the arrests of four people, aged 16 to 19, on Thursday who all remain before the courts.

NSW Police Superintendent Rodney Hart previously said Mr Utai was found writhing on the front lawn in “a fair amount of pain”, and was in a “serious but stable condition” later on Tuesday. He underwent surgery for his injuries.

“It is a brazen ambush of this male person who, from my understanding, was heading to his vehicle to go to work,” he said.

A car was found alight in Samuel Street in Wiley Park shortly afterwards.

Mr Utai is believed to live at the property with his wife and children, who were inside at the time of the alleged incident.

The alleged shooting marked the beginning of a spate of incidents this week believed to be targeting Mr Utai’s family, including the firing of shots into a Menzies Circuit home in St Clair on Wednesday morning.

A woman in her 50s who was home at the time was uninjured.

A car was found alight on Freeman Street in Colyton shortly afterwards.

Hours later a house and car were found on fire on Hunt Street in Guildford West

No injuries were reported.

A strike force was established to investigate the alleged incidents which a NSW Police spokesperson said are “believed to have been targeting the same family”.