David Furner came to the helm of the Raiders at the conclusion of the highly successful 2008 season. He was given the job midway through his fourth season as an assistant, that he got job sits fine with me as he had done an apprenticeship, that he was simply offered the job and no one else was interviewed doesn't sit well with me, but that's an argument for another time.
From 2007 through 2008, Neil Henry moulded the Green Machine into one of the great attacking teams of the decade. This was done in the wake of the Matt Elliott era, in which we were a stale side with impotent attack inside the attacking 20, with a revolving door of halves combinations. Unfortunately the Todd Carney saga cost us our halfback and a major component of a premiership contending side. At this point we had a very strong list who performed superbly as a team, Terry Campese was the shining light and made the Australian team.
Let me comment here on Furner's two preceding coaches. Matt Elliott, I don't think was or is a great coach beyond the basics of Rugby League, his side is doing well at the moment but they will be shown up as the season gets deeper. Neil Henry, I think is a very good coach and I reckon he could have turned us into a consistent top 4 outfit. He has struggled with North Queensland, I attribute this to him being a noted disciplinarian who has stepped into a side that have previously been successful who haven't dealt well with his hard line.
Coming back to Furner at the start of 2009. We struggled for results early in the comp but by mid-season started to look like we were hitting our straps with back-to-back wins against eventual premiers Melbourne then the Gold Coast, both at home. However a concern in our win over Melbourne, was how we got two of our tries - high kicks over the line for Monaghan to out-jump the opposition. For Raiders historians - this was reminiscent of 97, with Mal struggling in his first year as coach, this tactic was overused with Brett Mullins as the jumper. Sure enough, a year down the track, the high kick for Monaghan is still one of our big plays. We went on to thrash the Broncos (in one of that clubs worst performances in their history) and do the Dragons in arguably our finest performance of the season. But they were the only two positives from the back end of the year.
In the search for a new halfback, we were no closer to a permanent solution with both Marc Herbert and Josh McCrone sharing time in the number 7. There were reports that Michael Monaghan was interested in reuniting with his younger brother, but management said while they were interested they would struggle to house him within the salary cap. To my mind this was a huge mistake, we should have done what we could to accommodate him, there are ways, but in the end we pinned our hopes on either Herbert or McCrone making the position their own. A big problem with the lack of an experienced halfback, and possibly also due to lack of leadership from the coach, has been the drop in form of Campese. He started 2009 well, gained a starting spot in the NSW team and should not have been dropped based on his performance in Game 1. However since that point he has slipped well below his consistent performances from the second half of 2008.
As the 2010 season approached, many of us were not sure what to expect, but optimistic that the team would gel and we'd be very competitive. Yet from the outset, they picked up where they left off; totally directionless within the attacking 20 and no closer to settling on a halfback. Herbert was given the nod for round 1, but dropped immediately following, McCrone has subsequently failed to prove he is the solution either. The lack of a good hooker led to Alan Tongue spending some time there and also drifting into the halves. He has no place in either area, has the speed of a forward and passing game to match. Adam Mogg has been signed on a season-long deal and has since spent time at halfback, keeping both Herbert and McCrone (the two future hopes) out of the 7 jersey and impacting there development. Even if Mogg could play this position, he would be an incredibly short-term solution and certainly not part of a future premiership combination. However, he is an ordinary half, contributing little and taking away from any development of future halves.
On Furner's watch:
At this point, with Furner still contracted to the end of 2011, it is hard to see where any improvement is going to come from. What is magically going to occur that is going to consistently win us matches?
The final straw came on Sunday when we put in another shocking display at home. Following the match, Furner had a shot at the Referee's (unbelievable to anyone who watched the match or looked at the stats) and talked of the players not sticking to the game plan. The excuse of "don't blame the coach, blame the players" does not apply in all situations and certainly not this one. If players are not pulling their weight, the coach is the one who needs to discipline them, driving them to perform at a better level. If the players aren't getting over the line from close range, the coach must come up with ways to make it happen. He has totally failed to do this.
Once again, where is any improvement under his leadership going to come from?? I don't see it, I don't personally know anyone who follows Rugby League who does. He can be as determined as he likes, he can work longer hours than anyone, but over the last two seasons Furner has proved that he does not have the tools to be a successful head coach.
As for a replacement, certainly none of his current deputies. I also do not want an untried coach, be it Stephen Kearney or Michael McGuire. I would go for Ricky Stuart.
But this is not a thread about who should become the next coach, it is about why Furner must go, with a good squad he has had little success and there appears to be nothing remotely positive on the horizon. While it would be a sad way for a club legend to go out, best he do it now then continue for another season to the detriment of the future of our club. For walking early and declaring he gave it is all, he would have my total respect.
From 2007 through 2008, Neil Henry moulded the Green Machine into one of the great attacking teams of the decade. This was done in the wake of the Matt Elliott era, in which we were a stale side with impotent attack inside the attacking 20, with a revolving door of halves combinations. Unfortunately the Todd Carney saga cost us our halfback and a major component of a premiership contending side. At this point we had a very strong list who performed superbly as a team, Terry Campese was the shining light and made the Australian team.
Let me comment here on Furner's two preceding coaches. Matt Elliott, I don't think was or is a great coach beyond the basics of Rugby League, his side is doing well at the moment but they will be shown up as the season gets deeper. Neil Henry, I think is a very good coach and I reckon he could have turned us into a consistent top 4 outfit. He has struggled with North Queensland, I attribute this to him being a noted disciplinarian who has stepped into a side that have previously been successful who haven't dealt well with his hard line.
Coming back to Furner at the start of 2009. We struggled for results early in the comp but by mid-season started to look like we were hitting our straps with back-to-back wins against eventual premiers Melbourne then the Gold Coast, both at home. However a concern in our win over Melbourne, was how we got two of our tries - high kicks over the line for Monaghan to out-jump the opposition. For Raiders historians - this was reminiscent of 97, with Mal struggling in his first year as coach, this tactic was overused with Brett Mullins as the jumper. Sure enough, a year down the track, the high kick for Monaghan is still one of our big plays. We went on to thrash the Broncos (in one of that clubs worst performances in their history) and do the Dragons in arguably our finest performance of the season. But they were the only two positives from the back end of the year.
In the search for a new halfback, we were no closer to a permanent solution with both Marc Herbert and Josh McCrone sharing time in the number 7. There were reports that Michael Monaghan was interested in reuniting with his younger brother, but management said while they were interested they would struggle to house him within the salary cap. To my mind this was a huge mistake, we should have done what we could to accommodate him, there are ways, but in the end we pinned our hopes on either Herbert or McCrone making the position their own. A big problem with the lack of an experienced halfback, and possibly also due to lack of leadership from the coach, has been the drop in form of Campese. He started 2009 well, gained a starting spot in the NSW team and should not have been dropped based on his performance in Game 1. However since that point he has slipped well below his consistent performances from the second half of 2008.
As the 2010 season approached, many of us were not sure what to expect, but optimistic that the team would gel and we'd be very competitive. Yet from the outset, they picked up where they left off; totally directionless within the attacking 20 and no closer to settling on a halfback. Herbert was given the nod for round 1, but dropped immediately following, McCrone has subsequently failed to prove he is the solution either. The lack of a good hooker led to Alan Tongue spending some time there and also drifting into the halves. He has no place in either area, has the speed of a forward and passing game to match. Adam Mogg has been signed on a season-long deal and has since spent time at halfback, keeping both Herbert and McCrone (the two future hopes) out of the 7 jersey and impacting there development. Even if Mogg could play this position, he would be an incredibly short-term solution and certainly not part of a future premiership combination. However, he is an ordinary half, contributing little and taking away from any development of future halves.
On Furner's watch:
- Our ball control continues to be terrible
- The forward pack tire enormously as the game gets deeper, yes we have a huge forward pack, but this really hurts us
- Our outside backs, while performing to a mostly decent (yet often impenetrable) level in attack, are frequently beaten on the outside by opposition attacks
- And critically, the search/development for/of a halfback is going nowhere
At this point, with Furner still contracted to the end of 2011, it is hard to see where any improvement is going to come from. What is magically going to occur that is going to consistently win us matches?
The final straw came on Sunday when we put in another shocking display at home. Following the match, Furner had a shot at the Referee's (unbelievable to anyone who watched the match or looked at the stats) and talked of the players not sticking to the game plan. The excuse of "don't blame the coach, blame the players" does not apply in all situations and certainly not this one. If players are not pulling their weight, the coach is the one who needs to discipline them, driving them to perform at a better level. If the players aren't getting over the line from close range, the coach must come up with ways to make it happen. He has totally failed to do this.
Once again, where is any improvement under his leadership going to come from?? I don't see it, I don't personally know anyone who follows Rugby League who does. He can be as determined as he likes, he can work longer hours than anyone, but over the last two seasons Furner has proved that he does not have the tools to be a successful head coach.
As for a replacement, certainly none of his current deputies. I also do not want an untried coach, be it Stephen Kearney or Michael McGuire. I would go for Ricky Stuart.
But this is not a thread about who should become the next coach, it is about why Furner must go, with a good squad he has had little success and there appears to be nothing remotely positive on the horizon. While it would be a sad way for a club legend to go out, best he do it now then continue for another season to the detriment of the future of our club. For walking early and declaring he gave it is all, he would have my total respect.
