Penrith Panthers 'concerned' as Nathan Cleary suffers shoulder ...

Nathan Cleary injured his shoulder during the Panthers' 24-22 defeat to the Storm on Thursday night.

The Panthers believe Cleary aggravated an injury he sustained during the preseason.

Cleary is expected to have scans on Friday.

Three-time NRL premiers Penrith will anxiously await the results of scans after Nathan Cleary went down with a shoulder injury in the club's 24-22 loss to the Melbourne Storm.

Cleary injured his left shoulder during the second half of Thursday night's match at Penrith Stadium.

His father and Panthers coach, Ivan Cleary, said his son had aggravated an injury that had been troubling him since the preseason.

But there was no early indication as to the severity of the injury.

"I'm concerned," Ivan Cleary said on Thursday night.

"It was bad enough for him to come off. We'll organise the scans tomorrow (Friday), until we get those, we'll be in a better position to see our way forward."

Nathan Cleary had more than two months on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury in round 10.

Ivan Cleary was more upbeat after the latest setback, despite the potential ramifications for a finals campaign that is now less than a month away.

"He's in better shape than he was when he did his hammy. Hopefully that means it's good news," Ivan Cleary said.

"What do you do? It's just one of those years."

Navigating a finals series without Nathan Cleary would be a challenge for the Panthers, who would likely need to parachute Daine Laurie or Jack Cole into the halves to partner Jarome Luai.

Still, the Panthers have won seven of 11 matches without Cleary this season, largely thanks to West Tigers-bound Luai emerging as a genuine game-manager while filling in at halfback.

"We've been playing games without Nathan for big chunks of the year because of his hammy," Panthers co-captain Isaah Yeo said.

"That should give us confidence that we know we can do it. Obviously we'll have to change a little bit but I thought 'Romey' (Luai) over that period of time has been really good for us.

"It just means there's going to have to be individuals who step up. But it certainly hasn't been new this season."

The Panthers are likely to take a cautious approach to Cleary's fitness, given they face three bottom-eight sides to round out the minor premiership and are all but guaranteed a top-four finish.

Yeo backed Nathan Cleary to again apply himself to his recovery from injury.

"He's the most diligent man I know … he'll tick every box for sure," Yeo said.

The Panthers will remain second on the ladder at the conclusion of round 24, regardless of other results.

Thursday night's win moves the Storm two wins clear of the Panthers atop the ladder and almost guarantees them the minor premiership with three rounds to play.

AAP