New Penrith Panthers coach Anthony Griffin says trials against Canterbury and Parramatta will determine his squad for their Round One clash with the Canberra Raiders.

“I’m just going to be patient – I’m still getting to know them,” Griffin told panthers.com.au.

“We’ve got a good run of trials, I’ll probably leave most of my decisions until then.”

The Panthers are hoping for an injury-free season after their last couple of campaigns were savaged by a huge chunk of their top squad forced to watch from the sidelines.

Griffin took the top job from Ivan Cleary who was sacked at the end of the 2015 season but the former Broncos mentor says he has ultra-impressed by his new charges.

“Very much so. Every off-season is tough, that’s what they’re there for but I thought by the end of our work just before Christmas we reached a level we needed to reach so I was quite happy with where things finished.”

Question marks still remain on the make-up of the side, especially in the halves, with veterans Peter Wallace and Jamie Soward in the firing line with a number of boom rookies on the cusp of first grade.