A pt about Capewah: I have never seen him run such a good line like he did tonight. Maybe we are just used to him being such a defensive rock and an important leadership ingredient that we forget that he is also a great footy player. Hopefully we see more of that for the coming weeks.
Yeah when we lost Metcalf we magically lost Capewells line breaks and support play on attack.
Last night was a return to the form the Warriors found in the last game 2025 vs the Panthers.
I cannot stress how important that statement in bold is:
The biggest problem of the Warriors club is that they can randomly get up for one off high adrenaline games like a finals game against the Panthers, then a week later come out flat and get a hiding.
We have never seen this club an offseason later come out and smash a team stacked with more famous NRL players than our makeshift halves last night.
Andrew Webster is starting to correct a lot of life long imbalances at this club.
So what has that to do with Capewell? well that attacking game last night of his was on display without his familiar combination with Metcalf....so Webster has done some amazing preseason work/transformation of these players....unbelievable....truely was the best preseason ever....
He gets caught in that grey area where you’re hesitating to commit to the tackle, he’s holding off waiting for the right opportunity because once you commit you either make it or not.
So ye he holds and holds then just ends up getting burnt on the outside.
Having watched Ali's defensive issues closely over multiple seasons.....you have outlined the mechanics of what he is doing.
Problem is, lets be brutally honest here, the reason he misses tackles is that he is looking to avoid the contact period, that is the fundamental problem of why he hesitates.
And I am not making this up. Why are we even trying to find excuses when ALL of us should have seen this movie before.....with countless young Warriors star hopefulls (especially pre Webster/ Tangata Toa).
What Ali does, is what Hurrel did. What Carlos Tuimavave did. What dozens of Warriors made products have done time and memorial. They coast through Juniors and Reggies carving up on attack while hoping to get away with it on the defensive side.
Ali's problem is not technical, it is psychological.
You know how I know this 100%? Because the exact same very talented player types from our system also avoid doing the dirty work when we have the ball, they either pass before the line without drawing players, or they frankly hide when a dummy half run needs taking.
When you see that off the ball behavior in tackling, and you see it on the ball....you have a syndrome....you have a undeniable pattern of avoidance of contact and extra effort.
I wish people would stop suggesting all these types of players "to give us more Xfactor" without squaring the ledger of these claims with actual solutions for how are you gonna put star attacking player X in there when this sport is won through defence....not Try's (ever wondered why the Dolphins are not a Top NRL club? the Titans anyone?....or Stickies old Raiders - now using defensively sound rounded attacking players).
Ali will not come right with coaching. He has had that all his life, he will get it right when he is put in Cup and told, this is it mate, start tackling and running the ball up or your being pulled from NSW cup and what you do from there probably should involve your manager.
