Bulldogs History Database
Matt Utai
| Player # | 648 |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Matty |
| Position | Wing, Centre |
| Height | 169cm |
| Weight | 96kg |
| DOB | 25th May 1981 |
| Origin | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Junior Club | Berala Bears |
| Debut | 2002: Round 4 vs South Sydney |
| Other Clubs | Wests Tigers |
| Rep | NZ(4), Samoa(3) |
Built low to the ground with acceleration and brute strength to capitilise on difficult chances out wide, Matt Utai is a handful for any defender.
He joined the Bulldogs in 1999 as a centre and became a regular member of the Flegg team, playing in the Premiership winning side against Newcastle.
In 2000, Matt started the season in the Flegg team and was promoted to 1st Division. He played in the Premiership winning team against Penrith.
In 2001, Matt started the season in 1st Division but was relegated to the Flegg team. He played in the Premiership winning team against Cronulla.
In 2002, Matt received the opportunity to play in the NRL against South Sydney when Gavin Lester was injured. He has become a regular member of the NRL team for five seasons.
Matt was selected to play for New Zealand in 2002. He has played four Tests for New Zealand from 2002 to 2005.
In 2003, Matt played every game of the season including the Preliminary Final against the Roosters. In the latter rounds, he piled on nine tries in just three games, scoring a hat-trick in each match.
In 2004 he played in the Premiership winning team against the Roosters, scoring two tries in the 16-13 victory. He is one of three players to win premierships is all three grades. The other two are Ben Harris and Johnathan Thurston.
In 2005, Matt was a consistent member of the team but in 2006, his season was impacted by injury and suspensions.
In 2007, Matt was again struck down by injury, playing just four games after suffering a knee injury in his return game against Newcastle at Telstra Stadium. During the 299 minutes of football he played, the Kiwi produced 35 hitups and gained an impressive 530 metres.
In 2009, Matt spent most of the season playing for the Bankstown City side in the NSW Cup and was a member of the premiership winning team against Balmain Ryde.
Matt originally signed the Crusaders Super League club for
2010 but failed to recover from a knee injury, instead he joined
NSW Country Rugby League Club, Young in Group 9.
On 1st August 2015, Matt was named in the team of the decade as part of the clubs 80th Year celebrations.
In 2016, Matt was awarded Life Membership of the Football Club.
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