Warwick Capper, once the flamboyant poster boy of the Sydney Swans, is confronting a far more sobering chapter in his life.
Now 61, Capper’s memory is fading, and his partner Lisa Arocca has shared the moment that brought everything crashing into focus.
The pair were in an Uber on the Gold Coast when the driver asked who they were visiting.
Capper replied, ‘My son, Indiana.’ Then the driver asked where Indiana lived. Capper paused, looked at Arocca and said, ‘I can’t remember.’
In that moment, the man once known as ‘The Wiz’ realised something was wrong.
‘Maybe I have got a problem,’ he told her.
Warwick Capper, pictured with his partner Lisa Arroca, forgets key details and now writes his entire daily routine in his phone to stay on track
Capper has undergone memory tests but says results were ‘pretty bad’ and he still hasn’t received a full explanation
The former Sydney Swans star admits to repeating stories without realising, often telling the same one minutes apart
For Arocca, it was devastating. ‘This was bad because one thing Warwick had was a strong memory. He remembered everything,’ she told News Corp.
Now, Capper forgets names, repeats stories and at times can’t follow his own train of thought.
‘I can still remember most of the games. But sometimes I forget people’s names,’ he said.
Capper has been through it all. football fame, nightclub tours and even ventures into politics and adult film.
But now, the repeated stories and blank expressions suggest something far more serious than ageing.
‘I started going downhill a bit I think about seven or eight years ago. I’m just not quite as switched on’ he said.
He now keeps notes in his phone to track each day.
Once a confident performer, Capper now stumbles through conversations and struggles to finish sentences clearly
His manager says Capper’s current behaviour shows signs of frontal lobe damage linked to repeated head trauma
‘I write my whole day now, in my phone, so I don’t forget,’ Capper said.
His speech is often disjointed. His behaviour has at times become erratic. And Capper was recently banned from AFL venues for six months for being ‘rude to a girl’ at the MCG.
Capper, who is displaying the worrying symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), speaks openly of head knocks.
‘I got knocked right out. Didn’t know where I f***ing’ was though,’ he said.
He reflects on the times when players were told to ‘just give it a rub’ and keep going.
He’s not alone. Capper lists friends like John Barnes, Greg Williams, and John Platten who are also suffering.
‘He’s the worst I’ve seen, he thinks he’s Ron Barassi’ he says of Platten.
Capper tells those same stories repeatedly, often forgetting he’s just told them.
Capper describes being knocked out repeatedly during his career, saying players were told to ‘just give it a rub’
Despite undergoing cognitive tests through the AFL’s concussion program, Capper says he was informally told his results were ‘pretty bad.’
But there’s been no official diagnosis, no follow-up. ‘Not great,’ the examiner had said.
Arocca notices the changes every day. She once asked him to leave bags of clothing in the hall to donate.
An hour later, Capper threw them all in the bin. ‘He had a blank look on his face,’ she said. ‘In spurts he is fine, and then he isn’t.’
Though many see his outlandish public persona, Arocca sees the gentle man behind it.
‘He has a heart of gold,’ she said.
‘But I know he doesn’t want to admit all this. It’s really sad.’
Capper is now on the path to becoming a grandfather. But the road to reconciliation with son Indiana has been rough.
Capper has been diagnosed with ADHD but does not drink and avoids medication except for sleep aid tablets
The pair once had a falling out, with Indiana accusing him of being ‘a disgrace.’ But today, they’re back in touch.
Capper’s longtime manager, Peter Jess, is furious at how the AFL has treated him.
‘They should have wrapped their arms around him and got him proper treatment,’ Jess said.
‘They’re just waiting for these guys to fall off the perch.’
Jess believes Capper’s behaviour is a sign of frontal lobe damage. He’s pushing for the AFL to fund an $8000 MEG scan for Capper.
‘This is not the real Warwick,’ he said. ‘It’s f***ing frightening.’
Capper, meanwhile, isn’t complaining about his decline just yet.
‘I’m not in a wheelchair yet,’ he said. He still works the pub circuit, still tells his stories, still flashes that same blond-haired bravado. But the sparkle is dimmer now.
‘He’s always been a bit radical,’ Arocca said. ‘But now it is a constant rollercoaster ride of being forgetful.’ She’s holding on, though. ‘I just take it day by day.’
