Panthers are set to lock horns with Orange Hawks in the club's final pre-season trial, which will be played before the NRL match between defending premiers Penrith Panthers and Newcastle Knights.

Panthers coach Jake Betts said it will be a great opportunity, as the Bathurst club carries on the tradition from recent years.

"It worked out pretty well," he said.

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"I think a lot of the boys look forward to play in front of a bigger crowd and even for the younger kids as well, it'll be good. I'm looking forward to it.

The trial match before the NRL match will be Panthers' third and final pre-season trial.

Its first hit-out was against Kincumber Colts on Saturday at Diggings Oval, CSU.

The match was played after the Western under 21s match between Panthers and Hawks, with a number of juniors getting a run in the trial, including the likes of Jackson Carter, Logan Duffy, Tyson Haynes, Kevin Large, Callum Limon, Tom Large and Jia Siakisoni.

Panthers ultimately went down 30-26 to the visitors from the Central Coast, but Betts said he was pleased with how his team went, especially from the juniors stepping up.

"I was pretty happy with the game, to be fair," he said.

"Leading into it, we weren't too worried about the score. We just wanted to give the boys a hit out and I was really happy with it.

"We used a lot of young blokes, backing up from the 21s and I was really impressed with how they performed."

Betts believes the under 21s boys will definitely get a crack in the Peter McDonald Premiership first grade this season.

"I think they'll definitely get their opportunity," he said.

"Whether it's every week or not, but definitely throughout the year they'll get a crack, for sure."

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