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Body art inspires Olympic dream

Brothers in tattooed arms Kieran and Blake Govers see their ink as an inspiration for a special sibling selection for next year's Rio Olympics.

Kookaburras hockey star Kieran said his younger brother Blake joining him in Rio would be a surreal joy, though they were already living a dream made more precious with memories of their young cousins.

Dominique and Nikkita Hingston, aged just six and five, were murdered by their father in New Zealand in 2001 before he hanged himself.

Kieran said all eight of his tattoos had deep meanings but none as poignant as one on a bicep that says: "Two tiny rose buds God picked to bloom in heaven."

Blake's tribute is two rose buds on his right shoulder.

The 2012 Olympic semifinal was on the day of the year when the girls died.

Kieran scored and was pictured kissing his bicep.

"The Commonwealth Games final last year was on the same day," he said.

"We won then and I dedicated the win to them.

"I don't get tattoos if they don't mean anything. That one is pretty deep."

The brothers, from Albion Park in NSW, are training with the Kookaburras in Perth before the Olympic qualifying tournament in Belgium next month.

The tattoo on Kieran Govers arm in memory of his cousins.

Kieran, 29, is the second oldest of four brothers and has lived in Perth six years. Blake, 19, is the youngest.

Kieran said he got his first tattoo, a Southern Cross, during a big night with three teammates in Kings Cross.

His mother Jenny did not go through with her threat to kick him out of the house if he got a tattoo after Blake had dobbed him in.

He later added a New Zealand tribal image to mark his mother's heritage, the tribute to his cousins, Chinese writing for father, mother, family, his surname, the Albion Park Hockey Club, his Aquarius star sign and the Olympic rings.

Blake, as well as his tribute, has a red rose in honour of his late grandmother, cards with the birth dates of his parents and a guardian angel reflecting a story his father Ian told him as a child.

Both say there are many tattoos to come, hopefully one to reflect success in Rio.

Typically, their sibling rivalry ensured many robust childhood moments.

"We had a massive house that had a granny flat and a little alley out the back where we'd play hockey and cricket," Kieran said.

"But when it got too cold or too dark, we'd go inside and take over the lounge room. We smashed downlights, put holes in Dad's desk and all that sort of thing. Mum came running with the wooden spoon a few times, so we were pretty quick up the stairs."

Kieran was with Australia's bronze medal winners at the London Olympics and has a pair of World Cup gold medals. He will play his 100th game for Australia against England en route to Belgium - Blake's first major event with the Kookaburras.

Continuing the rivalry, they compete for the same spot as strikers.

"That's pretty cool because he pushes me and I push him," Kieran said.

Blake played his first game for Australia when his brother was injured but reaching the senior Kookaburras team was a surprise because he is so young. But he is not about to let his chance slip.

"It's your dream when you first play for your country," Blake said. "There's still a lot of hard training to come, but it's there for the taking."