It was a young side which Ernie Merrick wheeled out on Saturday night, leaving Nigel Boogaard and Matt Ridenton in Newcastle in a bid to give some youngsters a run.
The youngsters got a run – and stole the show.
A pair of Joey Champenss goals, an assist to Jack Simmons, and a stellar performance from Angus Thurgate in the centre of midfield marked a superb 6-1 win for the goal-hungry Jets.
It was an edgy start to proceedings, with the Jets perhaps just edging things – a chance which Roy O’Donovan couldn’t quite get on the end of while Lewis Italiano was keeping things level at the other end, denying Tobias Mikkelsen early on.
It was Joey Champness who eventually broke the deadlock, picking up the ball on the edge of the area and firing in a curling effort which nestled itself in the far corner to put the Jets ahead 1-0.
Shortly after, it was 2-0 and Champness was again in the midst of the action.
He was put through out on his left-hand side, and got beyond his defender before turning in a low cross bound for the penalty area.
It found Roy O’Donovan, whose striker’s instinct took over and the Irishman turned it in to double Newcastle’s advantage.
Following a period of sustained pressure from Newcastle, Angus Thurgate nearly struck with his second ever Hyundai A-League goal from 20 yards out but a diving save from Jamie Young denied him.
Zac Duncan pulled one back for Brisbane shortly into the second half, seizing on a parried shot from Dylan Wenzel-Halls to make the score 2-1.
The one-goal deficit didn’t last long though, with the Jets keen to restore their two goal buffer and the goal came through Roy O’Donovan – rising for a perfect Ivan Vujica cross to head home for his second.
Lewis Italiano got prone to deny Alex Lopez from a set piece just minutes later, with Brisbane looking to pull it back but it was the Jets who found the next goal.
While it wasn’t immediately clear whose goal it was, it was clear that the good work was done by Kaine Sheppard.
He curled one from outside the area, before a deflection off the head of Dimi Petratos sent Jamie Young in the wrong direction and the ball into the back of the net to make it 4-1.
Shortly after, it was 5-1 when Joey Champness found himself free at the back post and turned in for perhaps his simplest Hyundai A-League goal yet.
Brisbane thought they had a goal back in the 75th minute, with an attacker from a set piece turning the ball in but the VAR ruled that the Roar were offside and the score remained 5-1 in favour of the visitors.
Before the game was out however, the score would stretch out to 6-1. Jack Simmons, on for his first ever Hyundai A-League appearance, threaded the needle to feed Kwabena Appiah who finished for his first ever Newcastle Jets goal.
