Some try celebrations are impossible to miss because they are designed to draw attention. Others are quieter, but somehow say far more.
That was what stood out the first time I saw Dragons winger Setu Tu score in his NRL debut against the Bulldogs in Las Vegas in Round 1. After crossing the line, he turned toward the camera and signed the words, “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.”
Then in April, after scoring again against the Roosters, he did the same thing.
In a game where celebrations can often become about personality, emotion, or the moment itself, there was something striking about seeing a player use one of the most public moments in football to point away from himself.
Scoring your first try in the NRL is the kind of moment most players dream about for years.
It is the reward for countless early mornings, setbacks, sacrifices and unseen work. For many players, it would be understandable if that moment became entirely personal.
But Tu did something different.
Instead of making himself the focus, he used that moment to publicly declare his faith.
That may seem small to some people, but in many ways, it takes a different kind of courage to do that.
Physical courage is easy to recognise in rugby league. We see it every weekend in players running into defensive lines, getting back to their feet after heavy contact, and putting their bodies on the line for their teammates.
Spiritual courage, however, can be harder to notice.
In some ways, it can be easier for a player to throw himself into a collision than it is to openly belong to Christ in front of a national audience.
Faith is often welcomed as long as it remains private. Public belief can make people uncomfortable, especially when it is clear and unapologetic.
Christ himself speaks directly to that kind of witness in the Gospel when He says, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.”
They are words that can feel confronting because they remind us that faith isn’t meant to remain hidden. It isn’t meant to exist only in private, safely tucked away from public view when it might cost us something.
That doesn’t mean every act of faith needs to be dramatic. Most of the time, it won’t be.
Often it is found in simple moments — the quiet sign of the cross, a word spoken at the right time, or in this case, a brief gesture after a try. But those moments matter, because they reveal whether our faith is something we merely carry within us, or something we are willing to live visibly.
And there was nothing vague about Tu’s message.
“Jesus is the way, the truth and the life” are not his own words. They are Christ’s words from the Gospel of John.
They are direct and confronting. And in a world that often prefers a softer, more private version of religion, they are deeply countercultural.
Twice now, in two very different moments, Setu Tu has done the same thing after scoring.
And in a sporting world that often encourages athletes to build their own image, there was something refreshing about seeing a player use his moment not to promote himself, but to point to someone greater.
Sometimes the strongest witness is simply knowing who deserves the attention when the spotlight finds you.
