Bennett, whose side faces the Sea Eagles on Saturday night, said he empathised with Toovey, whose dumping has outraged fans and club legends.

"It's pretty unfair just to label it on the coach and at the end of the day it's probably a decision they've made," he said.

"It is what it is and that doesn't stop my emotion for him and I'm sure the Manly fans value what he's done.

"I think he's a really good bloke.

Bennett said no one but Toovey would understand the difficulty of his job at Manly this past season.

Factors that would have weighed on Toovey include the contract sagas surrounding star halves Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans that began before the season kicked off and dragged on.

Though Cherry-Evans eventually re-signed with Manly after pledging his future to the Gold Coast Titans, the pair were the centre of media speculation until the Round 13 contract.

"(Manly) lost their two star players before the season even really got underway; they were both negotiating with other clubs and that was what started it all," Bennett said.

"At the end of the day it just stifles everything you do and it just prevents you from being the coach you want to be and the coach you know you have to be as well.

"They're having a go there now so that's good and that's a credit to him."

Bennett defended the Sea Eagles great earlier this year when Manly was languishing with just four wins from 12 games.

They've won three more games since, putting them within striking distance of the top eight, while Brisbane's victory then was the first of eight in a row for the Broncos, putting them on track for their first minor premiership since 2000.

Bennett said despite the widening gap between the top contenders and a mid-ladder logjam, the final six weeks would be most telling.

"It's a six-week window of opportunity for us all to find out how good we all are," he said.

"There are a couple of teams outside that top four or five teams that are better than their position indicates at the moment."

Bennett also endorsed the prospects of Ipswich coaching duo Ben and Shane Walker for the Newcastle Knights vacancy.

Bennett's former club is in tatters after the sacking of Rick Stone and the Walkers have been praised in the Intrust Super Cup this year for their unstructured style of play, with the Jets third on the ladder.

"They've done a wonderful job up there with a restricted playing roster and restricted funds and it's a credit to them," he said.

"If they get in the mix to get an opportunity to be interviewed, I hope it goes well for them."