Parramatta's NRL season finally clicked into gear on Friday night with born-again fullback Jarryd Hayne starring as the Eels held on to beat North Queensland 28-18 at Parramatta Stadium.

Switched back to his preferred fullback position after shifting between five-eighth, centre and wing over the opening seven weeks, Hayne scored one try and set up two others in an inspired performance to steer the Eels to their third win of the year.

They were forced to work hard for it though with the Cowboys scoring two late tries to give the visitors some hope, the 8,104-strong crowd finally relieved of their agony when video referee Sean Hampstead denied North Queensland another four-pointer three minutes from time for an obstruction.

It brought a memorable end to a forgettable week for the club following the leagues club election which almost certainly spelled the end of chief executive Dennis Fitzgerald's reign, all that put to one side as the Eels broke out of their slumber.

They were helped by a poor effort from the Cowboys who failed to execute the fundamentals, passes sailing over the sideline and penalty kicks failing to reach the sideline as well.

The writing was on the wall early with a Johnathan Thurston clearing kick ricocheting off Kris Keating's legs, the diminutive halfback picking the ball up inside his own half before setting up Joe Galuvao for a second minute try.

From there it was all Hayne as he revelled in the freedom of his new role, the former Test winger barging over after eight minutes before using his blinding pace to convert a clever Feleti Mateo offload into a Matt Keating try and 14-0 lead after just 11 minutes.

Such was Hayne's brilliant first half that even his no-tries looked spectacular, the custodian denied when he deliberately tapped a Mateo chip kick over Matt Bowen's head before touching down under the posts.

Even in defence Hayne was outstanding - a 72m line drop out one minute out from halftime robbing the Cowboys of one last crack before the break.

When Hayne kicked for Luke Burt to score just after the restart, the game appeared over - the Eels apparently of the same opinion as they welcomed the Cowboys back into the game.

Backrowers Steve Southern and Weller Hauraki traded tries to still leave the home side comfortably ahead at 28-6, but a James Tamou try followed by a Ben Farrar four-pointer with eight minutes remaining set up a frantic finish.

Hayne said enjoyed the freedom of playing at the back, the same position from which he burst onto the scene three years ago.

"It's where I've played my whole life," he said.

"The World Cup (playing for Fiji) gave me a bit of confidence back there playing at fullback." Eels coach Daniel Anderson said the fast start was imperative for his struggling outfit.

"We haven't scored first in six consecutive weeks so it was nice to get on the board however we did," he said.

"We haven't been taking those opportunities of late and the opportunities we got tonight we scored from." Cowboys mentor Neil Henry said he was prepared to face a fired up Eels, and admitted his side failed to come up to the mark.

"It's the start they needed I suppose and one we talked about not giving them," Henry said.

"The first ten sets they completed them, passes were sticking, offloads were going, a couple of penalties there and they really rolled through us.

"We started to play some enterprising footy (in the second half) but the 14 points at the start of the game in the end was the difference." Thurston said he was unconcerned about a shoulder injury suffered midway through the second half, but the likely Test No.7 will undergo precautionary scans on Saturday.

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