The South Sydney Rabbitohs are set to shake up their coaching staff as they head into the bye this week with a poor record of 1-5 to begin the season.
Former Rabbitohs assistant coachย David Furner has reportedly been spotted at Rabbitohs headquarters as he begins talks to rejoin the club.
Recently, an assistant coach at the Wests Tigers under Tim Sheens, Furner, departed the club at the end of last season due to a serious falling out with fellow assistant coachย Robbie Farah, according to reports and is currently without a job.
Now, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Rabbitohs have opened discussions with David Furner to rejoin the club and be a member of the coaching staff.
โI'm close with David and I know he'll have a good impact on improving our defence,โ Demetriou told the publication.
Having previously worked at the Rabbitohs, it is understood that he is still popular with the playing group and is likely to become the head defensive coach - an area that the club have struggled in.
They currently have the worst defensive record in the competition, allowing a total of 196 points (an average of 32.6 points per game). This is 47 more points than the Cowboys, who have the second-worst defensive record to begin the year.
He will also add a ton of experience to the coaching staff, which the club currently lacks after the departures of Sam Burgess and John Morris.
A formerย Canberra Raidersย forward between 1992-2000, Furner has a stellar coaching resume which includes working underย Neil Henryย (Canberra Raiders- 2006-09),ย Paul Greenย (North Queensland Cowboys- 2009),ย Michael Maguireย (South Sydney Rabbitohs- 2017),ย Anthony Seiboldย (South Sydney Rabbitohs- 2018),ย Adam O'Brienย (Newcastle Knights- 2020) andย Trent Barrettย (Canterbury Bulldogs- 2021) as an assistant coach.
He also coached in the NRL for five seasons between 2009 and 2013 and even had a stint as head coachย with theย Leeds Rhinosย in the Englishย Super Leagueย in 2019.
During his time as a head coach, he has recorded a 43 per cent winning percentage.
