They put their body on the line when playing State of Origin but it’s also what’s on their body which is just as significant.
A raft of rugby league stars boast heavily-tattooed physiques, with words and intricate artworks featuring koi fish, cherry blossoms, skulls and a phoenix.
And for the players, their elaborate ink holds special meaning, The Daily Telegraph reported.
NSW Blues player Tariq Sims shows off his heavily-tattooed physique
Many of the tattoos on the upper body of Tariq Sims represent the close connection he has to his family
Tariq and Ashleigh Sims are pictured here at last year’s Dally M Awards in Sydney
For NSW Blues forward Tariq Sims, the words and designs on his upper body represent the close connection to his family, which includes his partner and their children.
The 28-year-old has ‘Family is everything’ writ large just beneath his chest and not far below that is his mother’s maiden name Campbell.
The names of his two daughters, Lakia and Vayla, are inked on his right wrist, and there are five cherry blossoms as he comes from a family of five.
‘I’ve got the God of Thunder under my left bicep. I’ve got a koi fish on the inside of my arm. That means family,’ Sims said.
‘I have ‘Family Is Everything’ across my chest as well because I come from a big family. And I have a young family myself.’
Sims first started inking his body in 2009 and has since spent about $2000 with tattooist Wade Larkin as ‘I loved all the meanings behind the old traditional Japanese tattoos’.
NSW Blues player Josh Addo-Carr has a tattoo of the Aboriginal flag inside an outline of Australia, among other tattoos
Blues player Tyson Frizell’s incricate artwork which covers his left arm, chest and shoulder
Fellow Blues player Tyson Frizell has ink on his left chest, arm and shoulder acknowledging his Welsh heritage.
‘Yeah Welsh design… u can just beat it!,’ Frizell wrote in response to a comment on an Instagram photo he posted of the finished artwork.
Josh Addo-Carr has a tattoo of the Aboriginal flag inside the outline of Australia, reflecting his indigenous heritage, among other tattoos.
And on Damien Cook’s ribcage is the phrase ‘If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, my body can achieve it.’
Cook’s brother, Simon, who himself was on the path to a rugby league career before a horror injury, told The Sydney Morning Herald, the phrase had special meaning.
‘That sat on my wall for a long time and Damien took that on as his mantra as well,’ Simon said.
Queensland Maroons player Kalyn Ponga said his tattoo ‘represents family’
Fellow Maroons player Josh McGuire has elaborate ink sprawled across his upper body
Queensland star Kalyn Ponga has a significant part of his left arm and shoulder dedicated to his family.
In an Instagram post accompanying a photo of his tattoo, Ponga wrote: ‘Represents family. To me, that’s everything’.
Another Maroons player, Josh McGuire, has the number 180 tattooed on his right leg, which is a nod to his Queensland Origin number, plus most of his upper body is covered in ink.
Cameron Munster’s colourful tattoo caused him a dilemma when he started to make a name for himself in rugby league.
His coach at the time, Jason Hetherington, said Munster had told him he wasn’t able to play because he had just got the tattoo.
‘He said, ‘I’ve got a tattoo and I’m not allowed to get it sweaty or dirty,’ Hetherington told Fox Sports last year.
Game two of this year’s State of Origin series will be held in Sydney on Sunday night.
Cameron Munster’s colourful tattoo caused him a dilemma when he started to make a name for himself in rugby league