Griffiths curled home a cracker into the top right hand corner to give his side the lead - the seventh game in a row he had netted against Queensland - but the advantage was surrendered just a minute later as Matt McKay steered a low shot past Ante Covic.

The winning goal was thumped home by Charlie Miller 10 minutes before the interval as he pounced on Tim Smits' flick on to crash a half volley past Covic.

Newcastle started the match with plenty of attacking fire. Joel Griffths glanced a header wide in the third minute, Ecuadorian import Edmundo Zura headed home from a curling Jin-Hyung Song free kick, only to be called back for off-side, before he put Joel Griffiths into space down the right flank only for the striker to see his shot slide inches wide of Liam Reddy's far post.

Queensland had its first chance in the 17th minute when Massimo Murdocca smacked his curling 18-yard shot against the far post, with Ante Covic able to clean up Matt McKay's follow-up effort.

Charlie Miller made Covic scramble just moments later when he lobbed a high shot from the left wing before Jets midfielder Matt Thompson sent a shot sailing over the bar as the match went from end to end.

The goal that was threatening to come eventuated in the 23rd minute when Zura slotted a sublime through ball for Joel Griffiths, who stood up the Queensland defence before curling a lovely shot inside the far post.

Queensland hit back almost immediately when big Roar striker Sergio van Dijk weaved through some lazy Newcastle defence on the right wing before squaring the ball to an unmarked McKay, who poked home from point-blank range.

The game continued at breakneck pace with Joel Griffiths and van Dijk going close before Queensland went ahead in the 35th minute courtesy of Miller.

The Roar talisman stroked home from what looked like an offside position on the edge of six-yard box after Tom Smits headed on Murdocca's cross from the right flank.

Both sides continued to attack until the break with Joel Griffiths and Reddy colliding while going for the ball outside the penalty area and Miller looking dangerous down the other end.

The second half started more sedately with both sides trying hard to regain the rhythm from the first 45.

Roar coach Frank Farina injected livewire midfielder Michael Zullo for Miller in the 54th minute while Gary van Egmond brought on attacking midfielder Jesper Hakansson for Daniel Piorkowski in an attempt to find an equaliser.

The Jets engineered the better chances as the match wore on, creating space on the wings and peppering the Queensland box with a number of crosses and corners, but the Roar defence, marshaled by Moore, held firm.

Covic did well to save van Dijk's low volley against the run of play in the 80th minute before an apparent hand-ball inside the Roar penalty area went un-noticed by the officials.

Jets midfielder Kaz Patafta came on to replace Jin-Hyung Song in the 85th minute and almost had an immediate effect sending his volley into the side netting.

Moments later Reddy pulled off a fantastic fingertip save after a Joel Griffiths header from a Tarel Elrich cross looked like levelling the scores.

But the Roar held on for a courageous win to move into fourth place, while the Jets are now five points adrift and firmly rooted in the bottom half of the table.