UPWEY-Tecoma has two key holes to fill heading into its Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League division 1 elimination semi-final this Saturday.
The Tigers beat Monbulk by 16 points in the elimination final on Saturday but were down to one player on the bench by half-time.
Tigers coach Greg Spence said midfielder Josh Kamoen (broken collarbone) and full-forward Wade Porter (broken nose and concussion) would miss the Wandin match and most likely the rest of the finals series.
He said Porter was injured when he collided with another player as he led hard for the football. "Wade will need plastic surgery on his nose. It's a pretty bad one.
"Both boys spent the night in Maroondah Hospital but that's finals footy, isn't it - everyone goes in harder. You have to admire their courage."
Spence praised his players for their fight as they came from behind in the third term to win the last quarter and the game.
"The boys dug deep. They just stuck at it and when the game opened up in the last term they lifted. We were playing well all day, just our delivery forward was poor up until the second half."
Ruckman Tom Hedge moved forward after Porter left the field kicking four goals in a best-on-ground performance. "With young Liam O'Brien coming along as a ruckman, we could move Hedge forward where he was excellent," Spence said. "Blair Sheppard was also great, he is a real little bulldog for us in midfield."
Wandin will once gain pose a major challenge for the Tigers. "Last time we played them they matched our endeavour and then set a higher tone and we couldn't keep with them. This time we have to step it up."