NOT many can claim to have their face tattooed on another player’s bum cheek.

Warrington Wolves forward Ben Harrison can.

The big prop or loose forward’s season started this week knowing that when he is dishing out some heavy treatment to opposition beefcakes, his reproduced face is also likely to be running around another rugby pitch somewhere else across the country.

The bizarre scenario is the result of a drunken decision during Harrison’s stag do in Benidorm during the off-season.

But Harrison says 22-year-old pal and former Warrington teammate Ryan Shaw, who starts his Championship campaign with Bradford Bulls this weekend, is happy to have his cheeky permanent reminder of his fellow Cumbrian.

“He’s made up with it,” says Harrison. “Ask him now about being drunk at the time and does he have any regrets and he says ‘Are you joking? It’s awesome!’ “I didn’t know anything about it until after he’d done it.

“We went on a night out and he came back about 12 o’clock the next day with that done.

“I just think it’s hilarious. He’s a funny bloke anyway. He’s a lovely kid and he made the stag do as good as it was with some of his antics.”

Harrison, who joined current Wolves teammates Chris Hill and Ben Westwood in getting married during the off-season, shook off a rib injury from the friendly against Hull Kingston Rovers on January 25 to take his place in the 17 against Salford Red Devils at the weekend.

Having suffered probably more than his fair share of serious injuries in recent seasons, the 27-year-old England international is hoping for a clear run and some silverware in 2015.

“It would be good to have an injury-free year. By the end of last season I was held together by tape pretty much,” he said.

“But that’s part of rugby league, it’s a contact sport and especially with playing in the middle I don’t think you can avoid it. It’s the same for all players, and some injuries are more severe than others.

“With sports science and recovery now reaching the levels they are at, we are creating machines.

“Players are that much faster, stronger, fitter, so the collisions are that much more intense and there are bound to be some repercussions.

“Injuries will be one of them but I think the physicality is why people in general love the sport – that’s why I do.”

He added: “As a team, the goals this year are the same as before.

“We want to perform every week and be up there at the end of the season for the silverware.

“In the past (during Tony Smith’s reign as coach) we’ve reached a final or won the Challenge Cup so to have a dry year in 2014 was disappointing.

“We’re a new squad, it’s a lot younger now, but as a group we are focused and the pre-season training was intense as well as of a really high standard.

“If we continue to pull together it should all stand us in good stead.

“Last year was always going to be a little bit of transition with losing the likes of Lee Briers late in the planning, then players needed to be blooded to give them confidence.

“I thought the likes of Gareth O’Brien really shone at the back end of last year. All the young lads will be all the better for the experiences of last year and that will help us in the long run.”