He revelled in a team environment throughout his rugby league playing days but former One New Zealand Warrior Matt Allwood went to the other extreme when he starred in the-made-for-television survival show Alone Australia.
It was just him against the elements, the 32-year-old relishing the prospect of being pitted against nine other contestants in the programme’s third season which was shot in the chilly, unforgiving terrain of Tasmania's West Coast Ranges.
Allwood's stay didn’t last as long as he had planned as viewers this week saw him tapping out after 16 days.
“To be honest I was rattled. It was too much being out there on my own away from my family with no contact,” he said of his separation from wife Ainsley, three-year-old Remy and one-year-old Lani.
On Facebook, Ainsley posted: “SO BLOODY PROUD OF YOU MATTY!! Anyone sitting at home on their couch watching, thinking they could do better, go on. APPLY!! Like to see you not eat for 10 days. Longest 1st tap out in the history of Alone Australia and 2nd longest tap out in history of the whole Alone Series! Strong, resilient bunch these ones haha. What a journey for all of us it’s been. Being away and out of contact for a total of 29 days was huge in itself. Unless you’ve been through it, don’t expect to understand it. No matter what, the kids and I are always so proud of you! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ what a bloody once in a lifetime experience.”
And that it was.
Now an indigenous youth worker, Allwood signed with the One New Zealand Warriors after making 11 NRL appearances for Canberra in 2014. In three seasons with the Warriors he played seven first-grade games scoring four tries while he had 20 tries in 50 games for the club’s New South Wales Cup side.
A proud Yanyuwa, Waanyi/Garawa man, he grew up on a cattle station in New South Wales and has spent the past few years since his playing career travelling the country.
Highly skilled in traditional practices like goanna hunting, spearing stingrays, fishing in the shallows and pig hunting with a “nulla-nulla” (a traditional Australian Aboriginal hardwood club or hunting stick), he’s been hunting and fishing since he was a kid and his TikTok page is full of videos of his adventures with his young family.
“The work I do in the space I do it in — I am looking after teenage Aboriginal boys and helping them through high school and into employment — we always try to inspire them and give them the motivation to be the best versions of themselves,” he said.
“So to be able to have something to really showcase as an example of being comfortable being uncomfortable, of stepping outside that comfort box, is something that I thought would be pretty cool.”
His deep connection to culture and country was shaped by the teachings of Aboriginal elders and community leaders in Yawuru-Broome.
"Growing up, I didn't watch Bob the Builder—I was out hunting grandpa's rabbits," he said.
“I’ve literally been hunting my whole life and I've been outdoors since before I can remember."
With no camera crew, each contestant in Alone Australia had to self-document their journey through a freezing winter, battling hunger, isolation and the sheer unpredictability of the wild. There were only three ways to leave: voluntary tap-out, medical extraction or victory.
