NRL star Aaron Woods reveals the secret meaning behind the tattoos he kept hidden under his socks
It has always been a ‘childhood dream’ for new Manly recruit Aaron Woods to don the maroon and white of his beloved Sea Eagles.
Now, after 14 years of hiding his right calf from the public, he has finally revealed how much he loves the NRL club.
After a long NRL career with the Wests Tigers, Woods has shuffled between clubs in recent years with stints with the Bulldogs, Sharks and most recently the Dragons.
Now, with 253 first-class appearances to his name, the 32-year-old has finally landed at the club he idolized as a child.
He was so idolized that he got two huge Sea Eagles tattoos on his lower leg as a teenager.
A self-proclaimed ‘crazy’ Manly Sea Eagles fan as a kid, Woods now has the chance to play for them
One of two Sea Eagles tattoos that Woods has on his right calf that he got when he was a teenager but has carefully kept hidden ever since
Woods has done well to keep the tattoos a secret out of respect for his previous clubs, but today he proudly showed them off to the media after finally making his debut for Manly against the Melbourne Storm at Brookvale Oval last weekend.
“I was happy with the two points and happy to put on the jersey and it was a pretty cool night,” he said.
“The whole night was so loud, reminiscent of when I played with the Tigers in Leichhardt, it was rocking.
“The hill was shocking, the fans went crazy.
“Some of the hits the guys were making, them [the fans] were on the edge of their seats.’
Woods is now proudly displaying his Sea Eagles tattoos, pictured here with Candice Warner, Rio Ferdinand and Jude Bolton
While Woods grew up in Leichhardt and got through the numbers with Balmain, he grew up a self-confessed “crazy” Manly fan.
“I was a Manly supporter, what can I say?” he said. ‘I grew up in 2040 [Leichhardt’s post code] but I went to Brookvale every home game with my mom and dad, but we also went to Leichhardt Oval. Footy is in our blood, it’s a religion in my family,” he told the The Sydney Morning Herald in 2014.
‘I loved Steve Menzies, Watmough, Kennedy… I was a huge fan of Ben Kennedy, thought he was a genius. I have based my game on two players [former international] Jason Ryles and Ben Kennedy. I really liked Kennedy’s ability to offload in any situation; Ryles, he was just a huge front-rower.”
Woods has played against the Sea Eagles many times in his career and each time his contract expired he was linked to the club.
Woods finally got to make his Manly debut on Saturday night in another fierce game between the Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm at Brookvale Oval
But when the Sea Eagles offered him a huge deal to join them in his early days, he had to turn them down.
“Couldn’t do it,” the 23-year-old said before listing the reasons why he stayed put. “Grow up with one [Wests Tigers] junior, love the environment, I feel quite comfortable here, my family is here.
“It was a mental issue. I like to be in the comfort zone so I stayed here. Also, the Wests Tigers took care of me. I had a few injuries and they stuck with me; I think I was ready to give back what they gave me.’
Since that sliding door moment, Woods has been associated with the Sea Eagles every time he changed clubs.
‘It is funny. Whenever I was out of contract, I was always linked to here (Manly),’ Woods said.
“I remember one of the journos wrote early in my career that I had a ward in Dee Why and I was going back home.
“I don’t know where he got that from.”
While the Sea Eagles are led through the park by veteran Daly Cherry-Evans, most of their team is made up of promising youngsters who are happy to give it to Woods about his age.
“A few of them (teammates) said they couldn’t believe how old I was,” Woods laughed.
“They said, ‘I remember watching you in first grade when I was in elementary school.’
Woods wants to be a role model with the Sea Eagles and help inspire the young players who come through the ranks
Woods celebrates with his new Manly teammates on Saturday night in what has become a dream come true for the NRL veteran
“But in the neighborhood of these guys, they haven’t thought about retiring yet.”
Having earned a contract with his boyhood club, Woods wants to be a role model for those young players in the twilight of his career.
“Some weeks I might play 30 minutes, 40 minutes, other weeks I might play 15, 20 or maybe play reserve class,” Woods said.
“It’s about doing your best, showing the boys how to prepare for games every week.
“Sometimes I’m on the team, sometimes not.
“It’s about being a good team player and we want the best 17 to play that weekend.”