The Melbourne Storm may receive a boost in their push to secure a home qualifying final, with Jahrome Hughes a chance of returning before the end of the regular season.

Hughes has so far missed one match after dislocating his shoulder against the Sydney Roosters in Round 21, with his teammates hanging onto a narrow win against the Sydney Roosters.

The champion halfback was at that point confirmed to have avoided surgery, but was unlikely to be back inside six weeks - the exact length of the regular season remaining.

Given the chance of reinjuring after a dislocation, time is the enemy for Melbourne, with Hughes likely to follow other players in being given as much time as possible to strengthen the area around the shoulder joint.

But Storm head coach Craig Bellamy, speaking to the media on Wednesday, said he is moving well and the aim is to play before the end of the regular season, even though the club won't put a timeline on it at this stage.

"We're not quite sure of when he'll get back, but he seems to have come on," Bellamy said per Newswire.

"His movements around, just around the club, he looks like he's coming on pretty well. We don't want to put a week on him (for a comeback).

"We'd like him to play before the finals if he can, but at the end of the day, we're not going to take any risks either. We'll just see how that goes, and as the finals get closer, we'll see what he can do, what he can't do and then go from there."

The star halfback - a New Zealand international and last year's Dally M Medalist - was in fantastic form for Melbourne throughout the first 21 rounds of the competition, with the Victorian-based club still in the mix for the minor premiership.

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That potential push was aided by the Canberra Raiders slipping up against the St George Illawarra Dragons over the weekend - ironically, the same club Melbourne lost to early in the season when Hughes missed a game - but they will still likely need to win at least four, or maybe all five, of their remaining games to secure top spot.

The push for a home qualifying final, though, was also aided over the weekend as the Canterbury Bulldogs came up short against the Wests Tigers.

What doesn't help the Storm is the difficulty of their run home, with two games against the Brisbane Broncos, as well as clashes against the Penrith Panthers, Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters on the menu.