Neil Henry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Neil Henry

Personal information
Born	(1961-01-23) 23 January 1961 (age 64) Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1988–89 Hull FC 8 1 0 0 4
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2007–08 Canberra Raiders 49 22 0 27 45 2009–13 North Qld Cowboys 124 59 0 65 48 2014–17 Gold Coast Titans 75 28 0 46 37 Total 248 109 0 138 44 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 2008 Dreamtime Team 1 1 0 0 100 2010 Indigenous All Stars 1 1 0 0 100 2018– Junior Kangaroos 2 2 0 0 100

Neil Henry (born 23 January 1961) is an Australian professional rugby league coach and former player. He was a head coach for three big teams in the National Rugby League (NRL). These teams were the Canberra Raiders, North Queensland Cowboys, and Gold Coast Titans. People often say he is one of the best thinkers in the game.

Becoming a Coach

Neil Henry started his rugby league journey as a player. He was one of the first players for the Canberra Raiders in the early 1980s. He also played for Hull FC in England for one season.

After playing, he became a player-coach for local clubs. These clubs were in the Canberra and Cooma areas. Later, he coached younger teams like the Under 19s for the WA Reds. He also coached the Raiders' SG Ball and Jersey Flegg teams.

Assistant Coach Roles

Before becoming a head coach, Neil was an assistant coach. He worked with the North Queensland Cowboys from 2003 to 2006. He also helped coach the Queensland State of Origin team. He was part of their coaching staff from 2006 to 2009.

NRL Head Coach Career

Neil Henry became a head coach in the NRL in 2007. His first team was the Canberra Raiders.

Canberra Raiders Coach

In his first year as head coach, Neil faced a challenge. He questioned a referee's decision after a game. This led to a fine for the Canberra team. But fans quickly raised money to pay the fine. They donated the extra money to charity.

In 2008, Neil Henry won a big award. He was named the Coach of the Year for the Dally M Medal. This award showed he was one of the best coaches in the league.

North Queensland Cowboys Coach

In 2009, Neil Henry moved to Townsville, Queensland. He became the head coach of the North Queensland Cowboys. He also coached the Indigenous Dreamtime team. This team played a special game before the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

In 2010, he coached the Indigenous All Stars team. They played in the first-ever All Stars match and won.

The 2010 season was tough for the Cowboys. They won only five games. But in 2011, Neil helped the team turn things around. They won 14 games that year. He was even a finalist for the Dally M coach of the year again.

Despite leading the Cowboys to the finals three years in a row, the club decided to make a change. Neil Henry left the Cowboys at the end of the 2013 season.

Gold Coast Titans Coach

After leaving the Cowboys, Neil Henry joined the Gold Coast Titans. He started as an assistant coach in 2013. In 2014, he became the interim head coach. This happened after the previous coach resigned.

His first game as Titans head coach was a close loss. In 2017, Neil Henry was no longer the head coach of the Titans.

Recent Coaching Roles

Since 2018, Neil Henry has continued coaching. He has focused on representative teams.

• In 2018, he coached the Junior Kangaroos. They won their game against the Junior Kiwis.
• In 2019, he coached an Australia A team. They had a big win against a French team.
• He also started working for the NRL as a coaching consultant.
• In 2020, he returned to the Queensland State of Origin staff. He was an assistant coach when they won the series. He continued as an assistant coach in 2021.

Television Work

Neil Henry has also shared his rugby league knowledge on TV. He works as an expert commentator for Fox Sports.