Tomorrow night, at Canberra Stadium, Furner continues that quest.

But Henry, now coaching the North Queensland Cowboys, will be out to thwart him.

With his team at the bottom of the ladder after three losses to start the season, Furner will pit his wits against his former boss as he tries to capture his first win as head coach.

And while he knows there's been plenty of buzz about Henry's return to Canberra this week, Furner insists his only motivation is claiming that elusive win, not getting one up on the man who broke his contract with the Raiders last year.

''They're in a situation where they lost last week at home and we lost last week,'' Furner said.

''Whether it was Neil or [former teammate] Ricky Stuart or [former coach] Tim Sheens I was coaching against, the thing is that it's a game we need to perform in.''

As coaches, Henry and Furner are starkly different characters.

Henry is a strict disciplinarian, who uses his teaching background as the basis for his interaction with his players. He never played at the top level, but spent 12 years in different coaching roles before becoming the Raiders' head coach for the 2007 season.

In contrast, Furner is someone who has achieved virtually everything the game has to offer a player.

He's won a premiership and represented his state and country. He only retired in 2004 and easily relates to his players from a footballer's perspective.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times