A last-gasp try to Joseph Barber saw the Panthers SG Ball side claim a thrilling 24-all draw with Parramatta in their trial match at Patrician Brothers Blacktown on Friday afternoon.
In what was a seesawing affair, the Eels headed into the final five minutes with an eight-point lead.
A bit of individual brilliance from Mason Iaria saw the centre steam down the left edge to score and set up a grandstand finish and the Panthers did not disappoint.
With 20 seconds on the clock, Penrith split Parramatta through the middle and Cooper Pereira kicked ahead for Joseph Barber who dived on the loose ball to seal the draw.
Outside of the final few minutes, another highlight from Friday's trial was five-eighth Sadee Sublaban's footwork, which fooled the Parramatta defence early when he snuck over to score.
The Eels hit back soon after when an inside ball from their halfback saw number ten crash over.
Sublaban continued to impress, this time setting up a try when he put Benji Glasheen over in the corner to regain the lead.
But a lovely short ball right on the stroke of quarter time from the Parramatta five-eighth saw them cross again to lock the game up at 8-all
While he may have had a key role in the final try of the night, Pereira proved his worth early in Friday's trial with a couple of strong runs out of trouble as well as a bat down to save a certain try out wide.
And his efforts were rewarded once play resumed when he went over out wide as Penrith capitalised on a Parramatta error.
The Eels didn't take long to respond, with number five racing away to dive over in the corner.
They then took the lead when number four charged through the line to score a runaway try on the bell, with Parramatta taking a 16-12 lead into halftime.
The Eels extended their lead with another quick try but soon had their buffer reduced when Taylan May chipped ahead off the scrum and dived on the loose ball to score.
Parramatta's right winger crossed over for his second try of the trial but they could not hang on, with two late tries seeing the Panthers snatch a 24-all draw.
The final Panthers SG Ball squad will be announced in the coming days as the team begin preparations for their season opener against Sydney Roosters at Panthers Stadium on Saturday 9 February.
