21 Aug 2013

Furner sacked as raiders coach

6:04 am on 21 August 2013

David Furner has been sacked as coach of the Canberra Raiders after five seasons in charge at the National Rugby League club.

In a statement, the club said the board made the decision to terminate the coach's contract because "the team's inconsistent performances were not reflective of the talent within the squad."

Furner, who had 200 games for Canberra as a player, returned to the club as an assistant coach in 2006, and was appointed coach for the 2009 season.

He won 53 games out of 131 as coach of the Raiders, including finals.

Furner still had a year remaining on his contract.

Andrew Dunemann has been named interim coach for the remainder of the 2013 season, with the Raiders saying the board would take the necessary time to appoint the best replacement for Furner.

The decision also raises questions over the future of Blake Ferguson - it is understood that Ferguson has a clause in his contract allowing him to quit the Raiders if Furner was no longer the coach.

Reports last week suggested Ferguson would seek to move back to Sydney to be closer to his family and mentor Anthony Mundine.

Canberra is ninth on the ladder after 23 rounds, behind the Gold Coast Titans on for and against.

The Raiders have a tough end to the home-and-away season, with a match against Manly in Canberra this weekend, followed by a trip to Auckland to play the Warriors, and a final-round clash with the Sharks at home.