Parramatta face a nervous wait on the fitness of Jarryd Hayne after the superstar fullback suffered an ominous knee injury late in their 26-10 NRL trial loss at Penrith on Friday night.

The NSW representative had to be helped from the field in the 70th minute after he landed awkwardly while attempting to catch a chip-kick from new recruit Chris Sandow.

The Panthers will head into their season-opener with Canterbury undefeated in both their trials, whereas the Eels open their 2012 campaign against Brisbane without a win under their belts and could potentially be without their match-winner.

In front of a crowd of 8975, Penrith ran in five tries to two, including a brace from five-eighth Travis Burns.

The visitors drew first blood when Sandow and Hayne sweetly combined to put Luke Burt through a gap and send rookie winger Ken Sio over in the corner in the seventh minute.

But Penrith responded by scoring the next three tries of the half, with Burns scooting over from dummy half before Michael Gordon did his chances of securing the fullback position no harm when he flat-footed Hayne on his way to the tryline.

The home side went into the half-time break with an 18-4 lead when Burns pounced on a loose ball following a bomb from halfback Luke Walsh.

Parramatta coach Stephen Kearney would’ve been smiling when his star duo combined again to open scoring in the second half – the former Rabbitohs halfback Sandow scoring off a towering Hayne bomb.

But the Panthers finished the game the stronger side, scoring late tries through hooker Kevin Kingston and winger David Simmons.

Both coaches kept their stars on for most of the match, but the Panthers were without new skipper Luke Lewis (quad injury) and Michael Jennings (suspension) and the Eels missed Reni Maitua and Willie Tonga.