The Canberra Raiders were preparing for their clash against the Canterbury Bulldogs - their fifth grand final in eight years - and Furner was surrounded by champion players and coaches.

"I still remember it, I've never been so calm going into a game," Furner said.

"We played North Sydney [in the preliminary final] to face Canterbury again, and I remember after the North Sydney game there were no celebrations or anything, we knew we had the big game to go.

"I remember getting in the sheds before the game, I'd never been so calm - I asked myself 'am I ready for this?' and then just ran out and we won the game.

"It's about keeping a lid on everything - that's the biggest thing. I was lucky, coming into my first grand final I had experienced guys like Mal [Meninga], Steve Walters, Bradley Clyde, Laurie Daley - they'd all played grand finals, and also the coach in Tim Sheens.

"That was a good thing for me, and having that experience around me at the time."

Now Furner returns to Sydney in grand final week with the North Queensland Cowboys as assistant coach.

The Cowboys have been starved of premiership success - playing in just one grand final for a defeat at the hands of the Wests Tigers in 2005.

Their parochial fans sense this year's opportunity against the Brisbane Broncos, turning up in their thousands to cheer on the side at a training session on Tuesday.

Furner can see parallels between the Cowboys' run to the grand final and the 1994 Raiders.

"We were a team like the Cowboys - we didn't have a rest - we played right through the finals series and coming into the grand final we just didn't have time to think about it," he said.

"Sometimes that can eat away at you a bit. If you can play week in week out, I think that's a good thing."

Success in Townsville was a big reason behind Furner accepting a coaching role after being sacked by the Raiders late in the 2013 season.

Seeing the impact the 1989 premiership had in Canberra and at the Raiders has made him eager to replicate that feeling at the Cowboys.

He said it was important to not get carried away with excitement during grand final week.

The Cowboys have tried to keep their preparations and routines as normal as possible, but Furner admitted it was hard to ignore the hype.

"It's exciting, we had a little bit of an open session on the field and there was almost 3000 people coming to watch, and it's hard for the players to ignore that," he said. "The players are excited at the moment but the key is trying to keep everything as normal as possible.

"It's hard to say it's a normal game because the players know it's not, they know it's the last game of the year and it's the most important game of the year.

"The hype is going to be around with the fans and well wishers, which come with the magnitude of the game, but you can't control that. You need to enjoy it but make sure when we get to training we stay focused and get that done."

Only four Cowboys players - Johnathan Thurston (2004, 2005), Matt Scott (2005), Ben Hannant (2006) and Justin O'Neill (2012) - have played in grand finals, and Furner expects Thurston and Scott to lead the way on and off the field this weekend.

"They've been in big games - whether it's Origin or playing for Australia - so they have a good idea of how to feel in the big games.

"When 'Johnno' is relaxed and he's in a good mood, it rubs off on the other guys. Matt Scott, too, really leads the forwards and tells guys what is needed.

"We've got those players there, and we've got the staff there. John Cartwright has been in a grand final, I've been in a grand final and Paul Green has been in a grand final, so I think it's not so much about the words, it's making sure we go about our business and making sure we're well prepared.

"And having those senior players prepared - the other players will feed off them."

In his role as defence coach, Furner has the difficult task of stopping a rampant Brisbane Broncos attack, which tore apart the minor premiers Sydney Roosters in last weekend's preliminary final.

The man he nurtured towards stardom at the Raiders, Anthony Milford, looms as a key figure in the grand final.

"He's playing some good football and he's really turning up with Ben Hunt - they are two dangerous players who showed their quality last week against a very structured defensive team at the Roosters.

"I think [forwards Adam] Blair, [Sam] Thaiday and Corey Parker really led the way to allow Milford and Hunt opportunities to run.

"Last time we played them I thought we did quite well - we only conceded two line breaks and unfortunately they were two tries.

"We need to be better and that's part of my job to make sure they are well prepared ... It's going to be good going back, but I've got a game day role to worry about so I'll make sure I'm switched on.

"The week goes quick, the game will fly by and then all of a sudden 2015 is done."