Melbourne may expect to be without forward Jake Melksham for their first final against Collingwood after an innocuous knee injury forced the Demons veteran to be subbed out of Sunday's clash with Sydney.
Melksham was approaching a marking contest in the third term of the game before changing direction and pulling up in pain, with his left knee hurt in the off-ball incident.
While able to jog his way off the field without the assistance of medical staff, Melksham was quickly subbed out of the contest for tactical substitute Bailey Laurie.
The scenes didn't spell well for Melksham given the motion of the injury, with his left leg twisting as he changed direction to move toward the ball.
The Demons forward could miss finals action in the coming weeks due to the setback, with Melbourne's September campaign to commence against the minor premiers as early as Thursday, September 7.
The pre-finals bye could help Melksham's case if the injury is on the mild end, while a significant knee injury will likely put a line through his finals chances.
Having booked fourth place prior to today's game, the Demons will feature in at least two finals matches - their first to come at the MCG against the Magpies in a qualifying final.
Melksham wasn't the only Melbourne injury concern in their final game of the home and away season, with returning forward Bayley Fritsch suffering a foot injury in the third term before returning to the field.
Sunday's match is Fritsch's first since Round 16 after he required surgery on his injured foot.
Defender Jake Bowey (shoulder) and captain Max Gawn (eye) also faced injury complaints.
While the Melksham setback will compound Melbourne's forward woes, the club will be satisfied with the efforts of veteran forward Tom McDonald and ruckman Brodie Grundy in the VFL, with the senior pair combining for eight goals in Casey's finals win earlier on Sunday.
The Demons' reserves notched up a 101-point win over North Melbourne at Casey Fields in a Wildcard final win, with McDonald kicking a game-high five goals to press his case for a finals recall.
Grundy has struggled to stamp his authority as an attacking asset at either level this year, but a three-goal outing will do his selection chances some good. The former Magpie also recorded 33 disposals, 18 hitouts and 10 clearances to be among the Demons' best at VFL level.
Small forward Andy Moniz-Wakefield kicked four goals in the win over the Kangaroos to also be in consideration for a debut in the coming weeks.