AFL tatts: the good, the bad and the ugly
AFL fans have a fascination with ink so, in honour of new Bomber Jake Stringer's rather, err, interesting, new gut piece, here's a look at some of the best and worst player tattoos.
DUSTY'S TATTOOS: WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
ROUND 1 REVEAL: WHO WILL YOUR TEAM OPEN THE SEASON AGAINST?
JAKE STRINGER
Jake probably has "no ragrets" over his new lion-mouthed belly button piece, but at least he didn't "ask for a 13 and they drew a 31".
DUSTIN MARTIN
Dustin Martin is the AFL's best and most recognisable player and so is his ink. Word has it that he's spent more than $15,000 covering his body in tattoos, with his most famous the neck pieces, the Maori words "Ngati Maru", which refers to his family's North Island tribe, and also "Matai Whetu", which refers to a meeting place.
DUSTY'S NANNA
Yeah, we know she's not a player, but Dusty's nanna is just too cool not to be a part of this list. Lois Knight's first tattoo - at aged 70 - celebrates her grandson's stunning 2017 season with, of course, his guernsey number.
TRAVIS CLOKE
While he's always had an interesting way with words - think "smoke and shadows behind the windows" - Cloke, who retired this week, actually has some inspiring phrases inked on his body. "Life is precious, worth the fight" sits on his ankle, while he has three words - "Strength, Determination, Belief" - on his lower back, below those love it or hate it angel wings.
SAM NEWMAN
Love him or hate him, you could never say Sam Newman isn't a man of his word. He's lived up to a number of bets in the past, including this doozy. Newman was so certain Adelaide would fail in the 1997 Grand Final, he promised to get superstar full forward Tony Modra tattooed on his behind. Well the Crows won and the rest is history.
NATHAN JONES
Demons hard man Nathan Jones has a number of tattoos, but it is the one on his arm of his grandfather that is most poignant. George Jones served in the navy for many years, but passed away from motor-neurone disease in 2015. Read this story and try to keep a dry eye.
LANCE FRANKLIN
Lance Franklin has steadily added to his collection of tattoos, with most having significance to culture and family. He has a portrait of his mother Ursula, the face of an elder who gave him the nickname 'Buddy', along with a number of indigenous motifs, including a kangaroo and didgeridoo.
DANE SWAN
Over the years, Dane Swan's obsession with finding the footy was only rivalled by his obsession with getting new ink. And the Brownlow Medallist is covered in a weird and wacky variety of tattoos. The weirdest one has to be the Collingwood legend's butt tattoo of Sam Newman, inked after he lost a bet with the Footy Show frontman about the Pies making the finals.
BEN COUSINS
If it's not footy's most famous tatt, it has to be close. Ben Cousins' 'Such is Life' gut tatt is an ode to the supposed final words of infamous Aussie bushranger Ned Kelly. Cousins' battle with drug addiction and the law throughout his career have made him an AFL outlaw.
