However it was the Brisbane v Melbourne game on Saturday night that had chins wagging this weekend.

Much had been said during the week about the visit of Brisbane Roar to the Victorian capital after the scintillating display of football, including world-class strikes at both ends of the park, earlier in the season..

This time, however, the hullabaloo was centred one man - Robbie Kruse.

Having plied his trade through rough times at Roar, the flying winger defected earlier this year to join the Champions in search of more game time and a permanent deal.

Brisbane captain Craig Moore said during the week that his ex-team mate looked underdone and looked as though he was "breathing out his rear-end" in previous games.

If Kruse thought he was in for a torrid time before the match, he was assured of it half way through.

Kruse drew the attentions of almost every Roar player, who weren't shy in reminding the new Melbourne recruit where his roots lay.

The most telling of these encounters was Danny Tiatto's rough-house challenge on the Victory flyer earned the former a yellow card.

As the young starlet lay prostrate on the Etihad turf, an incensed Tiatto stood over him furiously barking obscenities in a venomous spray that would turn Ozzie Osborne's hair white.

Elsewhere Sydney FC put in a disciplined display - arguably their finest of the season - to topple near northern neighbours Central Coast Mariners and take the outright lead of the competition.

North Queensland Fury left it late to secure a point against Glory in Perth; likewise Adelaide, who shared bragging rights with the visiting Newcastle Jets.  Both games were played to near-full stadiums.

Wellington Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert had said that Gold Coast United looked "vulnerable" following the Queenslander's consecutive losses. Herbert was hoping his prediction was on the money as his team tripped across the Tasman to meet the league leaders.

Indeed, it was the visitors who started the brighter, with early chances to Paul Ifill and Chris Greenacre early in the first stanza.

Leo Bertos put in a man of the match performance with some sashaying runs down the flanks coupled with some tidy ball work. The New Zealand international's efforts ultimately accounted for naught, however, as the Phoenix again squandered clear cut chances in the final third.

It was Bertos who was at the forefront of the half's best move.

After Paul Ifill was felled just outside the penalty box, Bertos stepped up and cannoned his free kick at Gold Coast keeper Jess Vanstratten, who almost spilled the ball into the path of the oncoming Ifill.

Up the other end Matt Osman stung the palms of Mark Paston with United's only real shot on goal of the half.

The second half started at much the same tempo with Phoenix controlling much of the play.

Phoenix winger Daniel almost stole the points for his team late in the game, but his header pinged into the cross bar, and scoreless it stayed.

After arriving earlier in the week to shake off tired legs, North Queensland Fury ran out against Perth Glory in the second game of the round.

In front of the second-highest crowd at ME Bank Stadium in five years, Glory started with intent, testing Fury's defence in the opening few minutes through a series of corners.

But Fury were soon behind the eightball when the solid Shane Stefanutto was stretchered from the field just after the half hour, in what could be a massive blow for the defender's World Cup hopes.

Fury were down another man just before the break when Ufuk Talay was given a second yellow card for what appeared to be an act of simulation.

Mile Sterjovski caused trouble throughout the game for Fury with darting runs and almost telepathic link play.

His efforts were rewarded soon after the resumption of play when he made a foray into the penalty box, only to be brought down by John Tamboras.

The marquee man stepped up to the spot to send Fury keeper Paul Henderson the wrong way to notch his third goal of the season.

To their credit, Fury continued to attack throughout the game, despite being a man down, with Daniel McBreen again looking especially dangerous.

Glory came close to doubling the advantage in the 69th minute when Sterjovski nodded home Pellegrino's free kick from the right, but the goal was disallowed after Eugene Dadi fouled Jason Spagnuolo in the lead-up.

Glory were made to pay immediately as Tadrosse took his free kick from 40 metres out, the defender floating his ball in for Tambouras to get his head to it and for Velaphi to take over the line under pressure.

The points were shared in the end.

After their engrossing encounter earlier in the year, Brisbane and Melbourne again took to the field looking to take maximum points in an encounter that had been talked-up all week.

And the home side couldn't have asked for a better opener when Ney Fabiano was able to head home a pinpoint cross from the right by Archie Thompson.

Roar's veteran defender Craig Moore stood dumbfounded after the goal was given, looking for a yellow card for an offside that never came, but replays showed the Victory marksman was just onside when the ball was played.

Looking far from beaten, Brisbane pushed forward and soon hit back with Brazilian striker Reinaldo equalising with a well-taken goal in the 11th minute. The Brazilian's finish came after a superb trademark defence-splitting pass from Charlie Miller.

Victory hit the post twice in the first half, but failed to capitalise on their chances.

The hard-fought, sometimes malicious contest, reached a turning point in the 53rd minute when Adrian Leijer and Henrique collected each other in the middle of the pitch. Clearly injured, Henrique eventually limped off in the 59th minute.

The flying winger will undergo scans on Thursday to uncover the full extent of the damage.

In the end, though, it was Leijer who was to be the hero.

The newly reclaimed Victory centre-back was the first to react to a Carlos Hernandez free kick and was able to lash the ball home from close range to secure a win for his team.

After traditionally dishing up goals galore between Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners in seasons past, fans looked to them to produce more of the same in the Harbour City on Monday afternoon.

The visitors were without striker Matt Simon through injury, but it was his strike partner Dylan Macallister who came the closest in the opening minutes - his header from six yards was denied by some expert goalkeeping by Sydney custodian Clint Bolton.

The game saw the return to action for Northern Irishman Terry McFlynn, who had started the season brightly before succumbing to injury in the early rounds. The crowd favourite wasted little time in announcing his comeback, heading home in the 21^st minute after some inspired play by Steve Corica and a pinpoint cross from Stuart Musialik.

Corica combined with Brosque, Bridge, and Byun to create several scoring chances in the second half, though the final finishing touches were lacking.

Karol Kisel got himself into the action too, with the Slovak's low shot narrowly missing the far upright.

Determined to get a point, the Mariners pressed hard in the dying stages of the game - standout midfielder Michael McGlinchey came the closest to equalising in the 67^th minute, only to see another fine save by Bolton.

 Sydney controlled most of the game in a performance that will delight coach, players and fans alike.

The final match of the round saw Branko Culina's Newcastle Jets travel to Hindmarsh Stadium.

Culina must have thought the football gods were smiling on him, after a run of less than desirable results, when the Jets took the lead through Jin-Hyung Song, who scored in just the seventh minute.

D'Apuzzo stripped the Reds captain of the ball, centred the ball where Song had no problem dragging the ball past goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic.

Indeed it was Song, Labinot Haliti and D'Apuzzo who were regularly making runs through the Reds' jittery defence in the first half.

Ali Abbas was also a threat with his blazing left foot in the 27th minute and another shot on target a few minutes later causing some nervous moments for Galekovic, while Nikolai Topor-Stanley was an aerial force for the visitors.

Adelaide lifted in the second half and there efforts were rewarded, only to see a Travis Dodd penalty kick denied a diving Ben Kennedy.

In the end it took a wicked curving volley in the 76^th minute from Cassio to level the scores.

The final 10 minutes were set up as an open, following contest as each team desperately sought the winning goal.

No one was able to find the net for a second time, however, and honours remained even.

Hyundai A-League 2009/10 League Table

   P = played | W = wins | D = draws | L = losses | F = goals for | A = goals against | GD = Goal Difference | Pts = points

Hyundai A-League 2009/10 - Leading Goal-Scorers After Round Nine

9 - Shane SMELTZ

4 -Robbie FOWLER, Carlos HERNANDEZ, Branko JELIC, Archie THOMPSON, Sergio VAN DIJK

3 - John ALOISI, HENRIQUE, Lucas PANTELIS, REINALDO, Mile STERJOVSKI

2 - Leo BERTOS, Mark BRIDGE, CASSIO, Steve CORICA, Jason CULINA, Chris GREENACRE, Jason HOFFMAN, Paul IFILL, Adriano PELLEGRINO, Matt SIMON, Victor SIKORA, Jin-Hyung SONG

1 - Danny ALLSOPP, Nigel BOOGAARD, Grant BREBNER, Tim BROWN, Dyron DAAL, Kofi DANNING, Travis DODD, Ney FABIANO, Steven FITZSIMMONS, Iain FYFE, Brendan GAN, Royston GRIFFITHS, Chris GROSSMAN, Labinot HALITI, John HUTCHINSON, Matthew LECKIE, Adrian LEIJER, Daniel MCBREEN, Michael MCGLINCHEY, Charlie MILLER, Tahj MINNIECON, MILSON, Craig MOORE, Kevin MUSCAT, Jason NAIDOVSKI, Mitch NICHOLS, Lloyd OWUSU, Joel PORTER, Sean ROONEY, Ben SIGMUND, Matt SIMON, Wayne SRHOJ, John TAMBOURAS, Matt THOMPSON, Danny TIATTO, Nicky TRAVIS, Nick WARD, Alex WILKINSON