Daryl Halligan showing young Northland league prospects the intricacies of goal-kicking on a tablet. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Daryl Halligan showing young Northland league prospects the intricacies of goal-kicking on a tablet. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Northland's next crop of young league players have been given some expert tips by three elite rugby league minds.
Canterbury Bulldogs legend Daryl Halligan gave some goalkicking advice in Whangaruru while former Kiwi representatives Ben Henry and Sharlene Atai went along to Glenbervie Primary School to give them some tips.
Henry and Atai's appearance at Glenbervie Primary School was well received as they put on a drills session to help the young league players with developing their skills.
They also ran a few competitions on the day.
Pirtek, the major sponsor to the Kiwi rugby league team, have had a van sign-written by New Zealand Rugby League and are traveling to all the franchises around the country promoting the union between the two entities.
Former Kiwis player Ben Henry keeps a close eye on Glenbervie Primary School's Jesse Mitchell (8) during a drills session. PHOTO/MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM
Meanwhile renowned goal kicker Halligan headed further north to give some tips.
Mac Leuluai, from Whangaruru, was instrumental in getting the Bulldogs legend up north.
He was heading to watch his grandson and backrower Kalani Going play for the Canberra Raiders against the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium when he ran into Halligan in the carpark.
"Darryl was parked right next to me. As he was walking away I called out 'hey Darryl, would you like to come up north to teach our young fellas how to kick properly', and he said 'yeah'," he said.
"So the next question, in typical Northland style, was 'how much will it cost me' and he said 'nothing for kids'.
"He's one of the best kickers in the world ever and I thought if anybody could he'd be able to teach our young guys how to do it properly. So I thought I'd ask him while I saw him there."
So from there the date was set up and last Thursday Halligan arrived at Auckland Airport about 1pm, hired a car, and drove straight north to give the kicking lessons.
Halligan was renowned as a fine goal kicker, his 855 first grade goals coming at an impressive 80 per cent success rate.
Halligan is noted for revolutionising goal-kicking by using a plastic tee from which to kick, instead of the old method where kickers would set the ball upon a mound of sand or earth. He was the first player to score 2000 points in an NRL career.
Mac said about 25 kids "and a few grown-up kids" turned up for the kicking clinic, which proved invaluable for the young kickers.
"He's such a great guy and has a real way of teaching the kids how to do it properly, and they've been practising ever since. He was just brilliant and I couldn't speak highly enough of him."
He said it showed a lot about Halligan's character that he flew all the way from Australia, at his own cost, to then drive three hours north to teach the Whangaruru primary school kids.
