The Canterbury Bulldogs’ 16-8 victory over the Parramatta Eels on Sunday night wasn’t pretty.
It was tough, messy, and at times frustrating to watch.
But in the end, they got the job done.
A win is a win, and in both sport and life sometimes that’s all that matters.
The Bulldogs didn’t dominate in attack. They didn’t put together slick set plays or carve up the Eels’ defensive line.
Instead, they fought for every inch, scrambled in defence, and capitalised on opportunities when they came.
It was a victory built on grit and perseverance rather than brilliance.
That kind of win might not make the highlight reels, but it’s often more valuable than a flashy performance.
It builds resilience. It teaches players how to hold on when things aren’t going their way. It proves that even on an “off” night, effort and determination can still get you across the line.
And really, isn’t that how the spiritual life works too?
In our journey of faith, we won’t always be at our best.
There will be days when prayer feels dry, when temptations come thick and fast, and when we struggle to live out our beliefs.
Some days, just showing up to Mass or choosing patience over anger feels like a battle.
But those are the moments that count.
God doesn’t expect perfection from us, but he does ask us to keep going. To fight the good fight, as St Paul (2 Timothy 4:7), even when we’re not at our sharpest.
A small act of faith—a short but sincere prayer, a decision to bite our tongue instead of lashing out, a simple effort to trust God when things aren’t going well—might not feel like a big victory, but it is.
Too often, we dismiss small spiritual victories because they don’t feel significant enough.
We tell ourselves that if we’re not praying for an hour a day, evangelising boldly, or feeling deeply moved in worship, we must be failing.
But the truth is, just like in sport, sometimes the scrappy wins are the most important ones.
The Bulldogs will take Sunday’s win, bank the two points, and move forward.
There won’t be any complaints in the dressing room that the performance wasn’t perfect.
They’ll recognise the effort, build on it, and aim to improve in the next round.
We should do the same in our faith.
If today wasn’t perfect, that’s okay.
If we struggled but still made an effort, that’s a win.
We take it, thank God for the grace to get through, and move forward.
Because in the end, the Christian life—just like footy—isn’t about always playing the perfect game.
It’s about staying in the fight, taking the small victories, and trusting that even the scrappy wins are worth something in the long run.