After he was the victim of a hip-drop tackle in April that left him needing surgery to repair the deltoid ligament, syndesmosis and fibula on his left foot, Kenny returned to action on the eve of the finals series.
The 28-year-old's presence has been missed by teammates, with Scott Sorensen describing the no nonsense No.9 as the Panthers' "mongrel dog".
Unable to have an impact on the field, Kenny put all his energy into helping lead Penrith's off-field preparation, presenting to teammates in analysis sessions either side of his recovery work.
"I can't give the crew at the Panthers enough of a rap for always making me feel valued and as connected to the team as I could be," Kenny said ahead of Sunday's qualifying final against the Sydney Roosters.
"The coaches were finding ways for me to present in team meetings and be around the group as much as I could.
"We're really player led in a lot of the stuff we do, so it was a good opportunity for me to do some stuff like that and help the boys with their prep.
"That (coaching) has been at the back of my mind and I definitely enjoyed doing a bit of that stuff ... I also sat in the box a lot and at times I'm not sure about it."
Kenny was initially scheduled to return inside three months but ended up sitting out for 20 weeks because each time he would finish running he would pull up in agony.
"It didn't heal up as nicely as we would have liked," Kenny said.
"I was trying to push through a bit of pain, which I thought was necessary pain, but it wasn't ... It turned out I was doing more damage than good.
"I had to pull back big time and jump off my legs for another five or six weeks, which is the reason why I'm back playing in 20 weeks instead of 12."
Kenny made his comeback in Penrith's final-round win over Wests Tigers, alongside Isaah Yeo.
There were fears Yeo's season was over when he injured a pec a month ago, but through a heavy rehab programme the skipper is back on deck for the Panthers' pursuit of a fifth title in six seasons.
"That probably sums up something we try to drive, to put the team above yourself," Kenny added.
"(Yeo) is the most extreme example I can think of - playing without a pec - he's definitely going to have to get some work done in the off-season.
"But it's such a lift for the group, having him out there and knowing that he's ready to put his body on the line that way for us. You can't help but want to repay the favour."
