Furner safe despite Raiders shake-up16 September 2011, 5:00 pmCanberra are set to shake-up their NRL coaching structure ahead of the 2012 season, but head coach David Furner's job appears safe.
A review into the club's operations - prompted by the Raiders' dismal performances this season when they finished second from the bottom after making last year's finals - has recommended a host of changes following preliminary investigations.
The biggest was a restructure of the coaching staff 'to better cater for the new direction of the high performance environment,' according to a statement put out by the club on Friday.
While the statement failed to address Furner's position, it is believed he will remain as head coach, with the former Australian Test forward under contract for another three seasons.
The futures of assistant coaches Andrew McFadden and Quentin Pongia are far less secure however, with former Raiders forward Justin Morgan - currently finishing up his term as coach of Hull KR in Super League - having been heavily linked with a return to the nation's capital.
The review was conducted by former Newcastle premiership-winning coach Michael Hagan and sports consultant John Waser, the pair meeting with the Raiders board on Wednesday afternoon following a three-day review camp with players and coaching staff.
Their final report is not due until November, but amongst their other recommendations was a need to bolster the club's playing depth and experience as well as putting more money towards medical staff and the rehabilitation of players.
'It's obvious that we need to act now to ensure that we hit the ground running in 2012 with minimal distractions.' Raiders chairman John McIntyre said.
'These initial findings give us something to work with as there is only limited time in the off-season to address some of them, so we are acting on those now.'
Source: Sky News Australia
Topic: Furner safe despite Raiders shake-up
