NRL legend cheers on his 'Aussie'

He couldn't quite bring himself to utter the words "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!" but Daryl Halligan is still a proud dad in Mount Maunganui this week.
The former rugby league great and 20-test Kiwi sat in the stands at the International Surf Challenge on Monday watching eldest daughter Devon compete for the Australian under-21 team, drawing much grief from his mates.
"It's interesting watching this here with Devon in the Australian jersey - one of my mates, Steve Gordon, reckons she's got a dingo top on!" Halligan said.
"She's 18 now though and she decides where her allegiances lie these days. We've got a very Kiwi house but the kids have all grown up in Australia so we don't throw any pressure at them and they make their own decisions."
These days, the former North Sydney and Canterbury Bulldog sharp-shooter gets across the ditch regularly with his commentary work for Sky TV.
He's also a kicking coach for several NRL sides and worked with the All Blacks under former coach John Mitchell during the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Halligan Jnr is an accomplished surf swimmer, tall and lean like her father. She competes for the Manly club in Sydney, where the Halligan family has been based since Daryl's switch to rugby league in 1991.
She's also represented New South Wales at agegroup netball, but it's been in surf lifesaving that she's really developed. Yesterday she helped her under-21 team to a comfortable win over their Kiwi counterparts, delighted to be contributing to the country of her birth.
"It went really well - this is my first time competing over here but I'd love to do it a bit more. I'm really looking forward to the Surf League this weekend too as I've been drafted into the Gisborne team.
"I've lived in Aussie all my life so it wasn't a hard call to make myself available for them but there's always a little bit of Kiwi in me."
All four Halligan kids - Devon, 16-year-old Cooper, Bronte, 14, and 10-year-old Inde - have been involved in surf lifesaving, although Daryl still has hopes one of them might one day pull on a black top.
"Devon's had many times watching sport cheering for New Zealand against Australia but now she's fortunate enough to compete for them.
"We had about 30 relatives and friends here (on Monday) but they couldn't quite bring themselves to cheer for Australia. We were cheering instead for Devon."