The indiscipline of Brisbane Roar was very much to the fore at Suncorp Stadium on August 23, as they battled out a 1-1 draw with Wellington Phoenix in an uninspiring Hyundai A-League third round encounter. Despite the 27 degree temperature, just 7,084 fans turned up to watch the match, and by the end of it most were affording referee Chris Beath short shrift, after the official sent off Brisbane substitute Tommy Oar, booked five other home team players, and sent irate coach Frank Farina from the bench during the second half. Wellington, by comparison, kept their heads and didn't allow their frustrations to get the better of them, a fact reflected by just two of their number being shown the yellow card by referee Beath, who should have sent off Brisbane's Robbie Kruse in stoppage time after he scythed down visiting playmaker Leo Bertos with a late tackle from behind. The way Brisbane concluded the match contrasted starkly with how they began it, and their early dominance was rewarded in the tenth minute with a delightful goal. Liam Reddy's clearance to Luke Devere saw him play the ball inside to Charlie Miller. The playmaker, on the comeback trail from an injury-enforced spell on the sidelines, showed he had lost none of his touch and vision while absent by weighting an inviting lay-off in behind the defence to reward the darting run of Henrique. The Brazilian got in behind Andrew Durante and swept a low cross into the near post area, where Sergio Van Dijk nipped in between two defenders to steer home past Mark Paston. Wellington's goalkeeper was in action again two minutes later, saving a shot from Kruse after the youngster had done Manny Muscat a treat upon receipt of a fine ball from Danny Tiatto. Five minutes later, the visitors flexed their attacking muscles for the first time, Bertos leading the cavalry charge with a solo effort which saw him get in between three opponents before unleashing a low drive which Reddy saved at his near post. That heralded a spell of dominance from the Kiwi representatives, but while they enjoyed plenty of possession, they offered little in the way of penetration during this period, and almost paid the price on the half-hour. A surging run from Van Dijk was followed by a measured pass into Henrique's stride. Paston grabbed his cross-shot, one of very few openings of note in a first spell punctuated by inaccurate passing and set-piece deliveries from both sides, meaning quality play was at a premium. Miller provided the bulk of that which was good, while the eye-catching movement off the ball from Henrique too often went unrewarded. But after Devere had released him down the right with a pass which allowed him to get in behind Tony Lochhead and fire another cross-shot towards the target, the Brazilian spurned a great chance to put Brisbane 2-0 up three minutes before half-time. Tiatto won the ball inside his own half and instantly set off on a counter-attacking run, with Van Dijk taking over from the combative midfielder and surging towards goal. He then sent Henrique racing through the inside right channel, but with only Paston to beat, the speedster looked on in horror as the goalkeeper swatted his deft lob to safety. Wellington, grateful for this let-off, began the second half in positive fashion, and spurned a golden chance to level the scores three minutes into the second spell with what was easily the best move of the entire match. Muscat, Jon McKain and Chris Greenacre combined to reward Paul Ifill's movement off the ball, the striker turning a defender every which way before

whipping a low cross into the heart of the goalmouth. From six yards, the incoming Michael Ferrante should have buried the ball, but he instead sent it sailing over the crossbar - it was an awful miss! After Ifill had sent a twenty-yarder fizzing past the post, and Henrique had been denied the chance to turn home Greenacre's low cross by the covering challenge of Patterson, Diego Walsh and Ifill combined on the hour, with the latter's first-time cross picking out Greenacre. His twisting header flashed narrowly over the bar. It took 73 minutes for an accurate, quality set-piece routine to be executed, so disjointed and inaccurate had play become - it certainly was not a fine advert for football, this match, by any means! Bertos provided the delivery, picking out unmarked substitute Vince Lia at the near post with a cross which the replacement met with his head, but directed straight at Reddy, who was fair livid with his defenders for their inattention. Three minutes later, another Wellington substitute, Daniel, clipped in a cross which Lia flicked on towards the far post, just too far in front of Greenacre, who was thwarted from swooping on any rebounds by Reddy ten minutes from time as the goalkeeper dived low to his right to keep out Lia's deflected shot. Brisbane were under the cosh somewhat by this stage, with Wellington well on top, albeit with nothing to show for it. They came close to falling two goals behind eight minutes from time, however, with Oar, who had seen Paston pluck his teasing cross-shot from the sky seconds before, linking with Kruse down the left to allow the latter to curl in a dangerous cross which arced just beyond the incoming Van Dijk. Five minutes from time, Wellington scored a well deserved equaliser. Bertos released Daniel down the left, and his gorgeous inch-perfect cross picked out Greenacre's clever run towards the near post, the striker making enough space in which to direct a fine angled header beyond the bemused figure of Reddy - 1-1. Cue the self-destruct button being hit, Brisbane-style. They had already had three players booked when Oar found his way into referee Beath's book for a rash challenge in the 86th minute, and within sixty seconds the youngster found himself looking at a second yellow card for committing a similar offence. Down the tunnel he went, much to Farina's ire, Brisbane's coach letting rip in a big way at the officials. Referee Beath wasn't having a bar of this, and promptly sent the multi-talented Australian footballing legend to the stands for the rest of the match. The yellow card came out twice more in the time which remained, with Wellington also forced to finish the match with ten men following Kruse's crude late challenge on Bertos, an offence for which the youngster should have seen red. Brisbane were pleased that he escaped with just a yellow card, of course, but given it was the seventh time the referee had wielded that hue to a home team player in the match, they can look forward to copping a fine for the indiscipline they displayed in a poorly attended 1-1 draw with a Wellington team which has climbed into fourth spot with this deserved share of the spoils. Brisbane:     Reddy; Devere, Moore (booked, 75), Malcolm (booked, 61); Kruse (booked, 90), Miller (Nichols, 61 (booked, 90), Tiatto (booked, 57) (Dodd, 61), McKay, Mundy; Van Dijk, Henrique (Oar, 70 (booked, 86, 87 - sent off) Wellington:     Paston; Muscat (booked, 45), Sigmund, Durante, Lochhead; Bertos, McKain, Ferrante (booked, 66) (Lia, 69), Walsh (Daniel, 69); Ifill (Hearfield, 90), Greenacre Referee:     Chris Beath