About the tattoos

Matt Cooper is a renowned hard-hitter on the field and he cuts a pretty fierce figure off it as well. A big, cut man with plenty of ink and a shaved scalp. But ask the man what his favourite tattoo is and he’ll tell you it’s the portrait of his daughter, Indy. That kind of love will do nothing to stop him running over the top of you on the park though.

About the tattoos

Sandor Earl is an addict. He is a tattoo junky. He knew it the first time he got done, a small tatt on his wrist with his mum and brother’s initials. Since then the underwear model, nicknamed ‘Princess’ by his teammates because of said modeling, has added a serious arsenal of ink to his chiseled frame. Goes pretty well with the ladies apparently.

About the tattoos

Cowboys meat axe Tariq Sims started with a tiny tattoo, an Aquarius symbol under his arm. Maybe he wasn’t bold enough back in the day. Things change. This massive human has added six more tatts to his frame, each bigger than the last. And his ambition? To cover the entire left hand side of his body in ink.

About the tattoos

Bodene Thompson has no problem placing implicit trust in his tattoo artist. And that has to help when you have as much ink as the the Titans star. The first three of his tatts where done by his uncle, a man who has been doing the traditional Maori Ta Moko for years. And his last tatt? Also done by someone he trusts. His room mate. That could have been awkward had the design got messy.

About the tattoos

Alex wasn’t mucking around when he decided to get inked. None of this little four-leaf clover-style tattoo on the underside of his foot. The Bronco’s ink has some serious meaning. It is an ode to his entire family, each member represented with love and respect. And they are designed by his uncle and only penned when back home on the Cook Islands.

About the tattoos

Dean isn’t into tattoo parlours but he has some serious ink. That’s because it is done by his uncle, a legendary artist from his home in New Zealand. There are no stencils used, it is all free hand, has been for 25 years. And that is who Dean trusts to pen his traditional Maori Ta Moko tattoos from his Te Arawa tribe.

About the tattoos

Shaun’s initial tattoo came about like so many other first timers: after a skinfull and a dare. That SKD tatt also gave birth to a nickname that has become just as permanent, ‘Skid’. Since then the patriotic Kiwi has embraced his Maori heritage. His Ta Moko ink took a whopping 18 hours to pen but did nothing to dampen Skid’s body art enthusiasm. He has the bug.

About the tattoos

Any man who can sit for 20 hours being stabbed by a manic needle must love his ink. That is how long the Eels-bound livewire Ben Roberts had to spend getting his cultural tattoo down his left arm. The experience did not scar him at all though. He has since added to his ink with two more pieces, his mother's name on one arm and Chinese script splashed across his ribs.

About the tattoos

A player of immense ability, Carney has the rare capacity to control and change rugby league games. A glare under the spotlight has taken him on a rollercoaster ride throughout the early part of his career. Time brings experience, and early in 2011 Todd decided to ink the following work down his back as a constant reminder to live life, treat people right and chase your dreams.

About the tattoos

Most people would class JT as a cheeky bugger. Well, at the very least he wouldn’t labeled a choirboy. He is all cheeky smiles and mischief. That’s why the angel wings tattoo on his back seems a strange fit for the superstar. But that’s part of the intrigue. And we wouldn’t want him any other way.

About the tattoos

The way superstar Josh Dugan runs the ball back at the line you’d have to think he loves hurt. And you’d be right. The Raiders gun has ten tats and is still going strong. The nip of the needle doesn’t bother him an ounce. “It’s a kind of addictive pain”, he said. “And I remember when I got my first one I was already booked in for my second.. You get used to it and zone out.”

About the tattoos

Critics say passion and loyalty are dead in the NRL but no-one told South Sydney up and comer Chris McQueen. The youngster was so proud the first time he took the field for the Rabbits senior team he had the moment immortalised. The '1070' tattooed on the back of his neck represents him being the 1070th first grade player for South Sydney.

About the tattoos

Dayne is another tattoo tragic. He has to tread carefully or he’ll wake up in five years covered head to toe in ink. As he puts it, ”They are addictive and I am trying not to get covered in them too much”. He was just 15 when he first went under the tattoo needle that first time and has craved more body art ever since.

About the tattoos

Beau’s tattoos carry weight. They are not spur of the moment brain snaps leaving their wearer full of regret. The ink across his chest reads, Dunghutti. It is the Storm star’s tribe. He is a proud indigenous man. The other tattoo on his wrist remembers his best friend, who died tragically in a car accident while the pair was at school.

About the tattoos

Scott Porter's ink was born of love and loss, not the flippancy of so many other tattoo bearers. The Sharks half has a portrait of his mother and another design with blue birds and his sister's name after both passed away in 2010.

About the tattoos

Nathan Peats is nothing if not committed. There is no tiny four-leaf clover adorning his body. His ink is far more serious. After more than 12 months and six separate sittings of between two and four hours each his sleeve is still not finished. He will see it through though and is keen to add more.

About the tattoos

For Esi Tonga it’s all about family. That’s part of the reason he is set to join the Eels next year, to play alongside brother Willie. The youngster’s first tattoo was simply his family name displayed proudly across his stomach. He has added more tattoos since, a fallen angel on his neck and his sleeve, but the most important was his first.

About the tattoos

One of the bad boys of league Reni is now back where he belongs, tearing up the field for the Eels. His first tatt came at the tender age of 14 and seemed a pretty gruesome affair. As Reni puts it the armband was "traditionally chiseled" onto him. And yes, the buggers sting. "They definitely hurt, and they don't get any easier," he said. "But it's a good pain, they're not too crazy."

About the tattoos

Jeremy Smith is one of the older guard of tatt wearing footballers. Body art has sprung up all over the football field in recent years but Smith has been covered for years. And not just tiny, out-of-the-way ink. He has put in his time. In fact more than 20 hours work so far, with more on the way.