A FORMER Leigh rugby league star has been hailed a hero after he saved two children from drowning in Australia.

Dean Hanger waded into the treacherous waters along with Cheshire PC Jonny Speakman after he saw an eight-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl get into difficulties at the surf resort of Spoon Bay, New South Wales.

The 36-year-old former centre and trained lifeguard managed to reach the boy and girl who were on bodyboards, and saved them from being swept out to sea by strong rip tide currents.

The two children were plucked from the water by rescue boats and PC Speakman passed one of the children to the rescuers.

But the two men got into difficulties themselves as rescuers from the surf club struggled to reach them.

Mr Hanger was in the water for an hour, face down in the water and just seconds away from drowning before he was rescued.

Tragically, PC Speakman, aged 33, was swept away and drowned. His body was recovered one hour later.

Speaking exclusively from his home in Gosford, NSW, Mr Hanger played down his role in the rescue and declared: "I'm no hero".

He said: "Jonny and I were just doing our jobs, it was what we had to do at the time"

Mr Hanger had been at the beach with his two sons and friends, including PC Speakman when they heard two children screaming from the water.

Mr Hanger said: "I had been going to the beach for four years and take my two kids with me twice a week, so I know the water. On this particular day the water had just changed, it was rough and I knew the two kids had gone in. I had to make a split decision, so I went in and John came along with me.

"We swam out and I managed to pull the boy out of the strong rip current. I knew the girl was not a good swimmer so if she stayed in the water much longer, she would have drowned.

"I got to the girl and pushed her back to shore. My son had also come out at this point and I had to push him back to the beach as well."

More than 50 people watched helplessly from the beach as rescue boats from a surf club were launched in a desperate bid to reach the two children and their two rescuers.

Mr Hanger said: "One of the boats came along and rescued the girl and John passed the boy to a rescuer. He saved that boy, it's as simple as that. He said to the rescuer 'just take him, I'll be ok'. We both then disappeared."

The pair struggled to stay afloat as numerous attempts to rescue them failed because of the rough sea.

"I was going to hang in there at all costs, it was sheer strength that I stayed above water for an hour. John and I were together but then he disappeared.

"At one point I thought I was a goner. I was face down in the water, and I knew I was seconds away from death. If it had not been for the bloke who pulled me out I would be dead today."

Hanger scored 18 tries in 38 appearances for Leigh during the early 1990s.

He joined Leigh in 1992 after a spell in Wigan's A team when he lived with Central Park boss John Monie for six months. That was after successfully recovering from a broken back and having two years out of the game in Australia.

He then left to play for Huddersfield Giants for four years before he finished off his Super League career at Warrington Wolves.

He moved back to Australia in 2000 to work for his father's plumbing business, who were building the Sydney Olympic Village for the 2000 Games.

Nearly five years ago, another former Leigh star, Australian hooker Nick Jenkins, padded over four miles on a borrowed surf board in two metre high seas to rescue a young boy who had been washed out to sea on his body board in Australia.