Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin was quick to dismiss an injury scare after star centre Justin Hodges went down in pain during a training session on Thursday.

Hodges initially appeared to be in trouble but recovered to finish another sharp session ahead of Friday night’s must-win NRL clash with Penrith which will also be Petero Civoniceva’s final game at Suncorp Stadium.

“He got a kick in the shins and he milked it for everything,” laughed Griffin when asked about the welfare of the veteran strike weapon.

“He’s fine. He’s flying. He got a kick in the shins in a defensive drill but will be right to play.”

A crowd in excess of 40,000 is expected to roll up for what Griffin described as a “big night on a lot of fronts”.

“We’re farewelling Petero (Civoniceva), it’s a final for us and Wal (former Brisbane foundation captain Wally Lewis) is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“Petero’s a lot like Locky (Darren Lockyer) last year. He doesn’t want the spotlight on him but they all know – you’d have to be living on the North Pole if you didn’t know.”

Brisbane will secure a top-eight finish if they break a six-game losing streak against the Panthers and can finish as high as seventh.