The Jets emerged with a point to prove and took an early lead through Dimitri Petratos, only to be pegged back in the second half after missing a myriad of chances.

After Adam Taggart equalised, Roy O'Donovan took the lead again immediately and the match became as end-to-end as a do or die bottom of the barrel clash should be.

Eric Bautheac eventually grabbed Brisbane's second equaliser - a result that breaks Brissie's losing streak, pushing them within a win of seventh, while the Novocastrians are three points off Wellington and the top six. 

NEWCASTLE JETS

Lewis Italiano - 6

Untested in the first half and unable to make an imprint in the second.   

Johnny Koutroumbis - 7

Hard to believe that he's already back but put his body on the line, delivering a strong return to action. Very confident display.  

Daniel Georgievski - 7.5  

Bombed down the flanks, fiery and tenacious, with an element of flair as usual.           

Nigel Boogaard - 7

Mopped up adequately when under little pressure and assisted O'Donovan's go-ahead strike. 

Nikolai Topor-Stanley - 6

Almost solid at the back for the duration but lost concentration late and appeared ungainly under pressure.

Matthew Ridenton - 6.5

Played a large role in Newcastle's effectiveness early, but he's not the most consistent ball-player.     

Jason Hoffman - 7

Constantly pushing forward, could have had a goal was it not for Jamie Young's lightning reflexes.

Benjamin Kantarovski - 7

Few crunching tackles, certainly had his moments. Generally solid defensively. 

Ronald Vargas - 7  

Pacey, heavily involved and dangerous from breaks in the first half. As Brisbane nullified dangerous channels, he became less important. Withdrawn for Steven Ugarkovic.

Dimitri Petratos - 7.5

Took the first goal excellently, extremely composed with impressive ball control. Lost influence (and confidence) as the match wore on. 

Roy O'Donovan - 7

Not involved nearly as much as he could have been in the first half but that's the thing about poachers, you have to rate them on their own scale. 

SUBS

Kaine Sheppard - 6

Brought on early in the second for Hoffman, but couldn't achieve much. 

Steven Ugarkovic - 6

Brought on for Vargas, failed to exert control in midfield.

Lachlan Jackson - N/A

BRISBANE ROAR

Jamie Young - 8

Took a few notes off Eugene Galekovic and had an absolute blinder.      

Jack Hingert - 5.5   

Sixth Roar player to make 150 appearances, constantly struggling to deal with overlaps and pushing opposing fullbacks.

Connor O'Toole - 5.5

Complacent at times, put in a shift in the second half but sloppy in his own penalty area. 

Jacob Pepper - 5

Aimed a soft ball across his own goal directly to Petratos, gifting Newcastle the lead. Looked generally uncomfortable at centreback, constantly making rash decisions. 

It's not that he's a bad player though; he can hit excellent diagonals, he's quick and reasonably reactive, but he's a midfielder, not a utility in the vein of Leigh Broxham.

Aaron Reardon - 5

19-year-old making his Roar debut, chucked in the deep end against Petratos, O'Donovan and co. Anybody know what happened to Luke DeVere?

Joe Caletti - 6.5

Threw himself around physically but was taken off at half time for Nick D'Agostino.

Álex López - 6.5

Few decent deliveries but very quiet, despite some ball rotation. 

Éric Bautheac - 7.5

Solid display in the opening 45 with few opportunities, faded in the second before springing back to life, ended up hitting a bullet header for draw even at 2-2.

He can drift in and out of games, becoming suddenly frustrated then bouyant and vice versa, but he works hard for an ageing marquee and brims with quality.  

Henrique - 7

Henrique's definitely underrated. He's not that slow and despite being ineffective in certain styles, he scores regularly and plays excellent balls, can beat a man. Very good squad player, withdrawn on the 60th minute. 

Matt McKay - 6.5

Had a large role defending from the front, which he attempted wholeheartedly but with only partial success. Hit the post on the 78th minute from a fine late run.

Adam Taggart - 7  

Too quiet until his goal, which took through fantastic positioning. Ignited his match slightly.

SUBS

Nick D'Agostino - 7.5

Heavily involved in an unfamiliar, deeper role upon his introduction. 

Dane Ingham - 6.5

Introduced for Henrique and combined with D'Agostino to create Brisbane's equaliser, but was largely stilted by Newcastle, especially Georgievski. 

Dylan Wenzel-Halls - N/A

Brought on for Reardon as Brisbane went hell-for-leather.