Penrith's leading tryscorer for 2022 Taylan May will miss "a couple of weeks" in the run to the finals after suffering a shoulder injury against Canberra last week.
May wore a sling at training earlier in the week and while scans have cleared him of serious damage, the top-of-the-table Panthers confirmed on Thursday the winger was set for some time on the sidelines.
"Taylan May was the only real casualty out of last Saturday's game," Panthers physio Pete Green said.
"He's got a banged-up shoulder ... he will likely only miss a couple of weeks."
May joins Jarome Luai (MCL), James Fisher-Harris and Nathan Cleary (both suspended) as unavailable for Thursday night's game against fourth-placed Melbourne.
May's injury brings highly-rated Penrith junior Sunia Turuva onto the right wing for his first start at NRL level, with Brian To'o replacing May on the left.
Turuva made his debut off the bench against the Raiders and was particularly impressive playing for Fiji in the Test match against Papua New Guinea earlier this year.
Robert Jennings comes onto the bench to face the Storm, having recovered from concussion, while Viliame Kikau has shaken off a hip injury and will start in the second row.
Jennings and Charlie Staines loom as other options on the wing in the coming weeks.
