David Furner

David Furner

Personal information
Full name	David Furner
Born	6 February 1970 (1970-02-06) (age 41) Queanbeyan, New South Wales
Playing information
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	98 kg (15 st 6 lb)
Position	Second-row
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1992–00	Canberra Raiders	200	49	511	0	1218
2001–02	Wigan Warriors	53	21	13	0	110
2003–04	Leeds Rhinos	45	8	23	0	78
	Total	298	78	547	0	1406
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1994	Australia	1	0	0	0	0
1996–00	New South Wales	8	1	0	0	4
1997	NSW (SL)	3	0	3	0	6
1997	Australia (SL)	1	2	0	0	8
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
2009–	Canberra Raiders	50	23	0	27	46
Source: NRL Stats, RLP

David Furner (born 6 February 1970 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Canberra Raiders of the NRL. Furner spent his whole Australian playing career with the Raiders as well and left the club as the greatest point-scoring forward in Australian rugby league history before enjoying a successful career in England.

David Furner is the son of former Canberra Raiders and Australian Kangaroos coach, Don Furner.

Playing career

Furner attended St. Edmund's College, Canberra. Before embarking on a successful career in rugby league, Furner was a Queanbeyan Whites rugby union junior and a member of the Australian under-17 and under-21 rugby union team.

Furner switched to rugby league in 1991 when he joined the Canberra Raiders. He made his first-grade debut in round 2 of the 1992 season against Manly-Warringah.

Furner was part of the 1994 Canberra Raiders premiership team, winning the Clive Churchill Medal for Man of the Match. Furner's strong performance led to his selection for the 1994 Kangaroo tour squad. Furner's father, Don, chairman of selectors, abstained from voting.

When Furner left Canberra at the end of the 2000 season, he had surpassed Bernie Purcell's record as the highest point-scoring forward in the game with 1218 points. Also in 2000 he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.

After leaving Canberra, Furner moved to England's Super League where he played for the Wigan Warriors. With them he won the Challenge Cup. After that he joined the Leeds Rhinos, with whom he won the Super League Grand Final.

Coaching career

On his return to Australia from England, Furner took on a role as assistant-coach at the Canberra Raiders in 2006. In 2008, following Neil Henry's appointment as coach for the North Queensland Cowboys, Furner was named as Canberra's coach for 2009.^[1] A year earlier his brother, Don Furner, Jr., was appointed CEO of the Raiders.

Following a poor start to the Raiders' 2009 NRL season, with Canberra only winning 4 games from 13, Furner has found himself criticised for the style the Raiders play and how different it is to their 2008 season style.

The back end of the 2009 season, gave Canberra Raiders fans optimism that 2010 would be successful, this has eventuated with Furner leading the Raiders into the semi finals.

Yet again the Raiders' start to a season was considered a massive under achievement with only 1 win from 8 games, despite many backing the Raiders to finish in the top four for the 2011 NRL season.

Sources

• Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. Wetherill Park, New South Wales: Gary Allen Pty Ltd. pp. page 176. ISBN 978-1-877082-93-1. 

References

1. ^ "Raiders confirm Furner as coach". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 1 April 2008. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23467110-5001023,00.html. Retrieved 2008-10-04. 

External links

• David Furner stats at rugbyleagueproject.com
• David Furner at yesterdayshero.com.au
• Profile at leedsrugby

Sporting positions
Preceded by Neil Henry 2007–2008	Coach Canberra Raiders 2009–	Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Furner, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 February 1971
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death