Cleary heads to hospital with training injury but Panthers confident he'll face the Storm

The Penrith Panthers have been given an almighty scare ahead of their Preliminary Final showdown with the Melbourne Storm next weekend, with star halfback and leader Nathan Cleary rushed to a local hospital after sustaining a finger injury at training on Monday.

The Panthers are chasing the first title three-peat since the 1980s and will be hoping for more members of their squad to become available after a week off, but the greatest concerns were held for Cleary, with NRL media whipping into a frenzy in the immediate aftermath of initial reports. Cleary has already experienced a prolonged injury absence this season after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the campaign.

The scans cleared Cleary of any serious injury, but medical staff are unlikely to take any risks with him as the game approaches, especially with question marks still lingering over the fitness of five-eighth Jarome Luai, who is back training with the team and is also expected to return to the field this week after suffering a dislocated shoulder against the Eels back in Round 26.

There is also uncertainty over the fitness of centre Izack Tago, and he's less likely to return than Luai after already enduring multiple injuries this year. Both players will be given every opportunity to prove their fitness between now and when teams are named for the clash tomorrow afternoon.