So it was just through luck, rather than good procedures, that in this case the problem was detected prior to take-off.
I wouldn't call it luck. It's the sort of thing that you can count on when everyone involved in the operation sees aviation as a career, not a job to do for a few months until they move on and load trucks or drive taxis.
NZ1009, sounds like you are looking really really hard to find a negative view of this....total of two posts...pretty much zero knowledge of operations.......not a journo are you? If not I apologize for the inference and welcome to PPRUNE, how long have you been interested in aviation? What sort of licence do you have? Do you aspire to the airlines or have you just become interested in this push-back because it caught your eye?
Regards, Framer.