After announcing he was hanging up the boots on his rugby league career less than two weeks ago, former NRL and Super League utility Sione Mata'utia has decided to make a U-turn on his retirement.
A rugby league veteran with 11 seasons and 209 matches under his belt, Mata'utia will come out of retirement to play alongside his older brother, Peter Mata'utia, for the Lakes Seagulls on a two-year deal in the Newcastle Rugby League competition.
Here, he will be hoping to guide the Lakes to the grand final after they missed on making the semi-finals this season.
Last playing in the NRL in 2020, Mata'utia moved overseas at the beginning of 2021 and featured in 84 Super League matches, including winning back-to-back Grand Finals and winning the World Club Challenge against the Penrith Panthers in 2023.
A three-time Australian Kangaroos representative, he played 124 matches for the Newcastle Knights between 2014 and 2020, where he scored 31 tries and played in various positions, such as in the backline and the second row.
The younger brother of Peter Mata'utia, Chanel Mata'utia and Pat Mata'utia, Sione also represented Samoa on the international stage, captained the Australian Schoolboys team and represented the U20s NSW Blues.