After Naked Rugby League 2007 and Naked for a Cause 2008, the players of the National Rugby League and Australian Football League present Gods of Football 2009 – and they strip down again, this time to raise funds for The McGrath Foundation breast cancer charity.

Over forty-five of Australia’s hottest players were photographed and their modeling skills were put to the test through a series of fashion photoshoots. The players have undertaken a number of tasks, including shooting an underwear campaign for Van Heusen, re-enacting scenes from James Bond, hitting the race track at Oran Park, and shooting a skincare campaign for Living Nature. The best performers are presented on the Gods of Football website, and we are all invited to vote for our favorite. The highest voted players will feature in the Gods of Football 2009 calendar.

To help us decide, the site contains loads of pictures, and some naughty interviews. We learn that 28-year-old Canterbury Bulldogs Michael Sullivan is single, likes sex and football “both in volumes”, and that to him ‘sexy’ means “confidence but not too much, always smiling and a good ass.”

Daniel Conn, the smoking-hot 22-year-old from the Gold Coast Titans, explains that the dream partner is “someone who is easy to get along with, fun and athletic,” and when asked what getting naked in front of a camera was like, he says: “It was all a bit of fun. I would definitely do it again especially if it was for a good cause.” He likes any part of his body that has a tattoo on it, and yes, he has a pair of lucky — oh so lucky — Speedos that he wears to every game.

For less that 25 bucks (US), you can pre-order the twenty-four pages, A3-size, limited-edition color wall calendar — beautifully photographed by Pedro Virgil — scheduled for release on September 26th.

Head on to the gallery below for more pictures of these studs, including behind-the-scenes shots and a great pose by Nick Youngquest. And watch out for Andrew Walker…

Gods of Football 2009
Steven Klein photography
Van Heusen
Living Nature
Pedro Virgil
McGrath Foundation