Even Brisbane’s Wayne Bennett can empathise with under-fire Canterbury coach Des Hasler’s plight ahead of their NRL clash at ANZ Stadium on Thursday night.

The long-time Broncos mentor admitted “the buck stops with the coach” but threw his support behind the besieged Hasler.

The off-contract Hasler is still hoping for a new two-year deal but is under immense scrutiny following their 36-0 last round loss to Manly – their third defeat in four games to date.

Bennett said fellow veteran coach Hasler would understand why he was under pressure but believed the Bulldogs mentor’s record spoke for itself.

“The buck stops with the coach – it goes with the territory,” Bennett said.

“We are in a highly competitive business and eight teams lose every week.

“(But) Des has been a long standing coach, has a great reputation in the game.

“He’s just going through a tough patch, we all go through them.”

Hasler’s future is expected to be high on the agenda when the Bulldogs board meet on Thursday, barely hours before their round five clash.

Bennett seemed to be scratching his head over why club boards were deciding coaches’ fates so early in the season.

Wests Tigers infamously sacked Jason Taylor after three rounds this year.

Bennett said each club board would know what they were getting from a coach before the pre-season, hinting that Taylor’s sacking was an “overreaction”.

Asked if as a coach he would like more than three rounds to prove yourself, Bennett said: “You’d like to think so.

“But they (board) know what they are doing.

“The board knows what I bring and Des brings long before the ball is kicked and pre-season starts.

“The rest is an overreaction sometimes.”