Bribane Strikers retained its undefeated away record after drawing 1:1 against South Melbourne at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday evening.
It was a game that could have gone Brisbane's way had it taken its numerous first-half chances, or South's if South Melbourne's second-half dominance had also been more truly reflected on the scoreboard.
As it was, Craig Foster's goal after just thirteen minutes had elapsed, and Robert Liparoti's one hour in, were the only scores in a lively and entertaining contest.
Patrick Kisnorbo was dismissed late in the contest for violent conduct after he was fouled, awarded the free-kick, but decided he needed to extract a more personal form of vengeance.
South coach Eddie Krncevic had no complaints about the dismissal. "(Kisnorbo) is still young and inexperienced, and I'm sure that'll be a lesson for him."
Strikers' coach John Kosmina was the more disappointed of the coaches: "A couple of guys weren't really tuned-in today," he said after the match, but declining to name names. "We had good chances, but we weren't aggressive enough in the box," said Kosmina, who as a player was certainly not shy when near goal.
Foster's goal came early, but there was ample evidence that one would surely come. Foster, Fernando Rech, and Kris Trajanovski had already shown they could find gaps, and it was a through-ball from Trajanovski which put Foster through a square back-line to face only goalkeeper Michael Petkovic and claim his sixth goal this season.
South had made a few chance of its own, but they were fitful products of chaos theory, rather than design.
One such came from 200-game veteran Steve Panopoulos who chased down a back-pass to harry Jason Kearton. Kearton's rushed clearance rebounded off Panopoulos's shins towards the goal-line, but was saved on the line by Ronnie McQuilter who had sped to cover his stranded keeper.
"I thought we hung back a bit in the first-half. We just needed to squeeze up a bit," said Krncevic, outlining the thrust of his half-time address. "We were all over the shop in the first-half, but I'm proud of the way we played in the second-half."
Whatever words were exchanged in that home dressing-room, South was more determined from the earliest moments of the second half. Indeed, as there had been neither a substitution, nor a different formation, the change in approach was seemingly without cause.
From constant South pressure came string of corners, and the crucial one was swung in by Panopoulos where full-back Liparoti used his height to outjump a raft of opponents to send a looping header into goal.
That it was Liparoti who scored for South Melbourne will once again highlight the fact that South's attackers are not yet earning their keep, and - as South's goals against total this season is only bettered by two teams in the competition: league leader Perth Glory and Olympic Sharks - South's back-line can claim to be working a double-shift.
Just how much South's defence is being relied upon was amply shown by Petkovic who made a spectacular diving save at the feet of Rech and Trajanovski immediately after the equaliser.
Joe Bacak had two good opportunities when sent clear to face only Kearton, but the words "only Kearton" scarcely do justice to Kearton's experience, and goal-covering qualities. In the first, youngster Massimo Murdocca - who had played a game of such tenacity and endeavour to belie his inexperience - had made a speedy run down the left to cut back to Bacak who then had the face of goal as his target, only to shoot wide at the near-post.
Bacak had another opportunity late in the game after Fausto De Amicis had sent him free and on-side only for Kearton to block.
And in between, Steve Iosifidis shot wide of the far-post after Murdocca had sent him clear.