Soward has been complaining of numbness in his legs, which is believed to be why he handed over the goal-kicking duties to Matt Moylan after two failed conversion attempts to start the match against the Gold Coast Titans in Bathurst on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers, who had Jamal Idris sent in for back surgery in the off-season, have been monitoring the injury for the past fortnight.

But Soward and the Panthers might have to bite the bullet and undergo an operation to ensure he doesn't miss matches at the business end of the year.

The former NSW Origin five-eighth has a history of back problems. He was heavily criticised in 2012 after missing two games for ex-club St George Illawarra with back spasms. At the time he told Fairfax Media "I've had days where I've struggled to get out of bed".

If Soward was to be sidelined through injury, the Panthers aren't short of options to fill the void. Will Smith, who played alongside Soward in the halves in Penrith's charge to the preliminary finals last year, is playing fullback for the Panthers in NSW Cup. While Isaac John, who missed most of last year through injury, is in good form in the NSW Cup after winning man-of-the-match honours in his side's victory against North Sydney Bears in Bathurst on the weekend.

The Panthers are hopeful of welcoming back winger Josh Mansour from off-season surgery in a fortnight's time and his replacement George Jennings knows he has to fight to retain a spot in the side. "I never knew it would be that fast [in first grade] but as the minutes went past I felt more confident and it felt good."