The Hyundai A-League's draw specialists, North Queensland Fury and Wellington Phoenix, shared the spoils once again in their eleventh round clash on October 17, a Robbie Fowler header six minutes from time canceling out Tim Brown's sixth minute opener for the visitors in this 1-1 stalemate. While it was the home team's fifth successive draw, Wellington set a competition record in playing out a sixth successive drawn fixture, but things could have turned out far differently for the visitors had North Queensland not spurned a glorious chance inside the opening thirty seconds. The visitors weren't afforded a touch of the ball as the home team, urged on by 6,191 fans, tore at them right from the first whistle, and an intricate interchange of passes, involving just about every member of the team, culminated in Chris Tadrosse's raking crossfield ball picking out Ufuk Talay, whose slide-rule pass sent James Robinson surging through a static rearguard. With Mark Paston to beat, the rampaging midfielder slipped his shot under the diving goalkeeper, who got just enough of a touch on the ball to divert it to safety, and deny North Queensland the perfect start. Instead, that went to Wellington in the sixth minute. Tony Lochhead caught Jeremy Brockie, his international team-mate making his North Queensland debut, in possession half-way inside the visitors' half, and promptly played the ball to Vince Lia. As he played the ball wide to Paul Ifill, Tim Brown set off on a driving run through from midfield which the striker, as he took on Tadrosse, spotted. Ifill picked out the midfielder with a perfectly flighted cross, and from six yards, Brown headed home unchallenged - 1-0 Wellington. The visitors looked to build on this early advantage, but in a half which saw both teams go close without really threatening to alter the scoreline, accurate finishing was conspicuous by its absence. Lia and Leo Bertos both spurned openings in the opening half-hour, as did Ifill eight minutes before the interval, after Daniel picked him out with a teasing near post cross. Both players were involved in a splendid move two minutes later, sparked by Troy Hearfield's ball forward to Ifill, whose precise first touch enabled him to play the ball across to Daniel. He released the overlapping Lochhead with a first-time ball down the left, with the fullback picking out the lung-busting run of Lia as he stormed downfield from the edge of his own penalty area to that of North Queensland. The timely intervention of John Tambouras prevented the midfielder from directing his header on target. The final act of the half saw Daniel's twenty-five yard free-kick saved low to his right by Paul Henderson, who had much less to do in the second half, a result of North Queensland sorting themselves out and taking the game to the Wellingtonians. Just two minutes into the half, Daniel McBreen's ball forward was misjudged by Paston, over whose head the ball bounced. Brockie, looking to capitalize on the opening, was unceremoniously denied by Ben Sigmund. Fowler's corners were a near-constant source of menace throughout proceedings, with Paston forced on several occasions to punch clear his dangerous inswinging deliveries, such as in the 52nd minutes, when David Williams looked to capitalize. Fowler went close with a deflected drive soon afterwards, as North Queensland kept the pressure on, while McBreen couldn't direct his effort on target as he slid in on the far post in an effort to turn home a cross from Brockie, whom the striker had released down the right seconds earlier.

McBreen went close again on the hour mark, this time with a spectacular volleyed effort after Talay and Tadrosse had combined down the left. Soon after, a fine move instigated by Henderson saw Talay release substitute Dyron Daal down the right, the speedster going on to whip in a cross for Fowler, who was only denied the equalizer by Andrew Durante's despairing lunge. Wellington's captain was rock-like in defence, as was his central defensive side-kick, Sigmund, who sent a header flashing past the post just shy of the hour mark when picked out by Bertos' free-kick. A brief gathering of the clans ensued in the 67th minute, after Lia had gone down with an injury which required referee Chris Beath to call a halt to proceedings with the ball still in play. After treatment, play resumed with a drop ball, which Wellington didn't contest. Talay, who represented North Queensland's cause in the incident, instinctively played the ball through a static Wellington rearguard to send McBreen scurrying clear of all-comers, only to lift his shot over Paston but over the crossbar also. The visitors took umbrage at what occurred, thinking that Talay would resume play by returning possession to Wellington, who had knocked the ball out of play to allow Lia to receive treatment. There was plenty of finger-pointing, pushing and shoving in the whole affair - Daniel, no shrinking violet in such circumstances, was particularly prominent from the visitors' perspective - but referee Beath quickly restored the degree of order which had been prevalent throughout proceedings prior to this brief outburst. Within seconds, Wellington had a chance to double their advantage when a wayward Henderson clearance landed at the feet of Ifill, some thirty yards away from an untended net. It was a difficult chance for the Barbados international, and his snatched effort was gratefully grabbed by a very relieved goalkeeper. Both teams' pursuit of a goal continued unabated. Williams volleyed wildly over after being picked out by Daal's raking crossfield ball twenty minutes from time, while seven minutes later, Bertos' free-kick to the far post picked out the unmarked Chris Greenacre, who directed his header straight at Henderson. The goalkeeper hoisted the ball downfield, Robinson flicking it on into the path of McBreen, who dashed through to the edge of the penalty area before steering his shot wide of the target, much to his and North Queensland's fans' frustration. Salvation was at hand, however, for when "God" is on your side, there is always hope. Sure enough, Fowler came to North Queensland's rescue six minutes from time, timing his run to perfection to head home unchallenged from ten yards, due reward for Tadrosse's enterprise as the fullback foraged down the left, evading two challenges prior to whipping in a wicked, well-flighted cross. Both teams looked to bring an end to their recent run of drawn fixtures in the time remaining, but while there was plenty of perspiration on a decidedly warm night in Townsville, penetration was less prominent, and when the final whistle sounded, the 1-1 outcome left both teams firmly entrenched in the bottom three, and a little too far adrift of play-off contention with the season approaching its half-way point. North Queensland:     Henderson; Grossman (booked, 35), Griffiths, Tambouras, Tadrosse; Brockie (Daal, 59 (booked, 76)), Talay (Malik, 71), Robinson (Spagnuolo, 81), Williams; McBreen (booked, 74), Fowler Wellington:          Paston; Hearfield (Muscat, 77), Durante (booked, 48), Sigmund, Lochhead (booked, 78); Bertos (Chen, 87), Brown, Lia, Daniel (Ferrante, 71); Greenacre, Ifill Referee:          Chris Beath