Tag: NRL

As the State of Origin final approaches, it feels like we’re in our own Game III decider. The battle between faith and a secular, often hostile culture isn’t new – but it has hit a tipping point.

I usually like to give credit to teams and players that fly under the radar — the underdogs, the underrated, the unnoticed. But this year, I can’t help but admire the form of one of the NRL’s biggest stars: Latrell Mitchell.

I doubt Alex Johnston—when he crossed for his first NRL try—ever imagined he’d score 199 more. But by sticking through the challenges and showing up anyway, he found himself in extraordinary territory. That’s often how greatness works—in faith and footy alike.

Sometimes it feels like we’re down 20-nil at half-time. Maybe it’s the struggle to overcome a habit of sin, the weight of suffering, or the temptation to just coast spiritually and give up trying. But the saints remind us that the second half still counts—and in fact, it’s where the victory is won

In rugby league, we tend to assume the path to the trophy must go through million-dollar men and highlight-reel heroes. But the Raiders are reminding us that the ingredients of greatness often lie in humility, hard work, and self-sacrifice.

The thing is, some rules need to stay grey. In footy, just like in life, blanket rules can’t cover every single circumstance.

The Wests Tigers still have issues to work through. No one’s denying that. But they’re not waiting for perfection to start performing. They’re showing up, giving their best, and reaping the rewards of perseverance.

Not every penalty needs to come with ten minutes in the bin or weeks on the sideline. Sometimes, a simple course correction is all that’s needed before the game moves on.

In an era where players often abandon their clubs the moment they sign elsewhere, he’s sticking around and committing to the job he still has.

That’s the difference between worldly sorrow and Godly repentance—one keeps us stuck in the past, while the other propels us forward toward who we are meant to be.

Every year, people (myself included) have questioned whether Penrith finally lost one star too many. And every year, the team has proven the doubters wrong.

The name on the back is a subtle but important reminder of who they are off the field, as well as on it.