A leading tattoo artist has declared that despite playing one of the most physically demanding sports in the world, many NRL players wince in pain when they’re going under his needle.

Tattooist Konrad Ilolahia is the main man at Monarch Tattoo Studio in Sydney’s south-east and a favourite with several rugby league stars.

He has been a designer for years and has now disclosed that some of league’s hardest men aren’t as tough as many would imagine.

‘It’s funny because it’s mostly some of the boys in the front row that don’t handle the pain too well,’ Ilolahia told News Corp.

The tattoo specialist has more than 10,000 followers on Instagram, where he frequently posts photos with footy stars who have had a session in the studio.

‘[I] probably don’t want to reveal their names because they are a lot bigger than me, stronger and scarier,’ he said.

Tattooist Konrad Ilolahia (pictured left with Wests Tigers player Fonua Pole) has spoken out on NRL players who can’t cope with the pain of being inked

Tigers forward Pole (pictured) is one of several NRL stars who have gone to Ilolahia to get tattooed

‘But I’m sure if you just look at the Instagram page, you’ll see which front rowers have been through.

‘They’re probably tough on the field, not so tough in the chair.’

Ilolahia has become one of the most popular tattoo artists in Sydney and is especially revered among NRL players.

He has worked with stars like Fonua Pole, Taniela Paseka and Keaon Koloamatagi.

The 33-year-old has built a very warm relationship with some of the game’s biggest names.

‘Any players from the bottom sides last year, I’m like, this is why you guys don’t make the top eight – because you can’t handle tattoos,’ he added.

‘We just get that banter going and everyone’s pretty cool. It’s not coming from a bad place.’

Ilolahia isn’t just a talented artist who also happens to be a footy enthusiast.

South Sydney forward Keaon Koloamatagi (pictured) is another big name who has worked with Ilolahia 

The 33-year-old artist (pictured right with Manly star Taniela Paseka) is popular in the Polynesian community

The respected artist, who boasts Tongan heritage, used to play football at a local level and was even a teammate of Tigers skipper Apisai Koroisau at the Berala Bears.

‘A Rabbitohs scout recruited him from one of our grand finals and he made his way up from there,’ he said of the Wests hooker.

At a junior level, Ilolahia also faced off against future NRL stars such as Roosters veteran Daniel Tupou and former playmaker Aiden Sezer.

Despite inking a number of key names within the footy world, the artist hopes to one day work with a true legend of the game, like Jonathan Thurston or Andrew Johns.