It took some brilliance from Ante Milicic for his two goals, ably supported by Ahmad Elrich and Lucas Pantellis to overcome a tenacious Brisbane Strikers who would not lay down, even when three goals behind. The game finished a reflective 3-2.
Power had been told to lay off the over the top attack but still needed to beat their top 6 challenger if they were to grab that top 2 spot come R26. With basically their first line team they may have been expected to do that easily but they counted with a full strength Brisbane who must have had "win and stay in the top 6" engraved on their eyeballs. The Strikers could have been forgiven if they thought their plane had turned north and dropped them in Townsville so hot, humid, and wet was the night. It must have been to their liking because they ran, and attacked all night long.
Parramatta did the deed for the first time in the 12th minute when Ahmad Elrich beat young Josh McCloughan to the ball, and curled a cross over the defence from the right to a waiting Ante Milicic who slotted it away from an acute angle.
Brisbane came back with some good moves through the middle, and in the 19th minute Steve Fitzsimmons could not quite get on the end of an Adam Webber cross from the right. Two minutes later Luke Morley headed back in to the goal area for Peter Grierson's head, but Clint Bolton in the Power goal palmed the ball away. Bolton was under consistent pressure at this time, even being closed down dribbling the ball.
Elrich was giving McCloughlan a hard time down the right but Karl Dodd was providing cover. But still Brisbane battled away. Matt McKay was out through as the Strikers tried some variation, but his shot was palmed away by Bolton. You could be mistaken as to who was the away team as they mounted wave after wave of attacks.
While the Strikers were pressing they left themselves exposed and in the 37th minute Simon Colosimo picked out Lucas Pantellis on the left, and with space he made for the goal-line down the left touchline. As he swung in-field he picked out an unmarked Milicic 25m from goal, and the deadly striker stroked the ball powrfully into the left hand side of the Brisbane goal.
After the break the expectation for the Power fans was likely to have been 'can we go on with this'. To support their hopes two minutes after the re-start Fernando Rech forced his way through the middle, and his well struck shot cannoned off Scott Higgins in the Brisbane goal. Alas for the northerners it fell right to Pantellis who slammed it into the net. 3-0
Did the Strikers give up? No way! First captain/coach Stuart McLaren shot just wide accross goal from the right, and then they earned a free kick some 30m out. Three over the ball, but Steve Fitzsimmons strode up and wacked it along the somewhat greasy deck and into the left side on the goal. 3-1.
For the next 20 minutes Brisbane almost camped out in the Parramatta half, without making a break-thorugh, as Power put their midfielders behind the ball. In the 73rd minute Power at last got a wild shot in through Elrich and Rech and a minute later Peter Zorbas tried a 25m speculator. In the 77th Elrich beat two Brisbane defenders into the penalty area on the right but hit it just across the goal.
Brisbane had suffered from wing play twice so now they tried some of their own, bringing on an extra striker in Warren Moon, sacrificing their sweeper Dodd. This width immediately paid off as Morley got to the line with two defenders closing him but squeezed a cross across the face of goal to Joshua Rose whose snap shot bulged the net from 8m. 3-2
One minute later Morley was free in the box but tripped on the ball. In the 86th Rose shot on target but straight at Bolton. It was only in the last few minuted that Power came out of their shell, with substitute Sasho Petrovski hitting way over from in the area, and Travis Dodd shooting to Higgins who managed to palm it away.
Certainly Power (and Milicic) showed their class and that they will punish you if you lose concentration or shape for even a few minutes, but the disciplined play of the Strikers suggested that they may yet be in the final series and cause their share of mischief.