Surf Lifesaving: Another Halligan vows to fight them on the beaches

Cooper Halligan will compete for Mt Maunganui in a variety of disciplines at Ohope. Photo / Harvie Allison

Cooper Halligan wants to make a name for himself, starting this weekend at the New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships in Ohope.

The son of former Kiwis league star and Sky Sports commentator Daryl is the younger brother of New Zealand's world champion lifesaver Devon.

He joined his older sister at the three-day carnival which began yesterday and finishes tomorrow.

The 19-year-old, who grew up on the northern beaches of Sydney, will compete for Mt Maunganui across a variety of disciplines in both the under-19 and open divisions.

He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his older sister who won the under-19 and open ironwoman double in Gisborne two years ago.

"Devon has obviously been a role model to me," Cooper said.

"She has trained with me and pushed me along and encourages me to do my best. I'm really looking forward to a good couple of days' racing hopefully and it will be interesting to see how the Australian surf competition compares against the New Zealand championships."

Daryl, who is famous for being the first player to score 2000 points in the NRL, could not be more proud of both his kids as they excel at the elite level of their sport.

"It is great to see them get so much enjoyment from competing in a sport that they love and are pretty good at," said the 47-year-old, who won an NRL title in 1995 with the Bulldogs. "This weekend is about two things - it is a chance to compete with some of New Zealand's best but also a chance to reacquaint with New Zealand and have a good ol' Kiwi holiday at the beach. We are looking forward to staying at a bach and having a few beers with the locals."

Daryl said the he can see a lot of his work ethic and training in his kids.

"They are incredibly dedicated to their sport. We drop them at the beach early in the morning and they train all day on the different disciplines. They push themselves really hard and they are getting results. It is awesome to see how fit and strong they both are. Cooper has really grown in the past few years into an impressive athlete. There isn't too much fat on him these days."

Cooper (1.91m, 85kg) showed a brief interest in rugby at school but his real passion was in the surf and the decision to follow his heart saw him enjoy immediate success.

He was third in the under-19 ironman at last year's ultra-competitive Australian championships and helped his Newport club win the under-19 surf team's race.

Cooper won't start as favourite in a competitive open men's ironman field but he will add further interest to an already-intriguing line-up. "This weekend will be a good experience for him to see how good he is," Daryl said.