The improved form coincided with the return of Brett Holman, who scored the winner against Perth Glory off the bench a week after their loss to the Jets. He has also bagged two more in the last three games.

But this game brought a new challenge for the resurgent Roar when they took on a Newcastle side who have had mixed results themselves of late with a win, loss and two draws. If the Hunter outfit were to pressure Sydney FC at the summit and mount a realistic challenge for the Premiers Plate, they needed three away points here.

It looked, for a long time, that two outstanding goalkeeping displays would ensure an entertaining scoreless draw, but on a muggy evening in Brisbane the game opened up and the substitutes would have their say. Joey Champness came on to provide the spark and took just two touches to finish nicely against his former employer and secure a 1-0 win for the Jets.

Who else performed at the top of their game? Check out our player ratings below.

Brisbane Roar

Jamie Young – 9

Showed wonderful anticipation to keep the score at 0-0 when he denied Nabbout then pressured the second shot also. Pulled off a wonder save from a Petratos free kick. Was beaten in the end but could hold his head high. Outstanding performance.

Jack Hingert – 6

Had a challenging night and had to deal with a lot of the attack coming down his side.

Avraam Papadopoulos – 7

A lot of interceptions in the first half where Newcastle had most of the ball. Was strong in the air and typically staunch with his back to goal.

Jade North – 6

Lucky not to pick up a booking when he clattered into Roy O’Donovan, then lucky again when he slid in to take out a charging Jason Hoffman. Third times a charm when he upended Dimi Petratos and he received his yellow card. Despite that, unlucky not to keep a clean sheet.

Ivan Franjic – 6

Fantastic intervention to clear a rebound from a Jamie Young save. Missed a golden chance to head into an open net after a set-piece. Replaced by Corey Brown with 10 minutes left.