Two-goal hero Jamie Maclaren was delighted Brisbane Roar found the energy to bounce back against Newcastle Jets after their 6-0 loss last week in the AFC Champions League (ACL).
Brisbane won 3-1 over the Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday, with the Roar wearing down their hosts, who had to play almost an hour with 10 players due to Jason Hoffman's red card.
The win was a timely boost for Roar's chances of hosting an elimination final with five rounds remaining, while it also gave John Aloisi's side some confidence after they were thrashed by Ulsan on Tuesday night.
Newcastle opened the scoring from the penalty spot but were dealt a blow when Hoffman was sent off after 30 minutes.
A second-half brace from Maclaren saw Brisbane take the lead, with teenager Nicholas D'Agostino confirming the result late on with his first A-League goal.
"All in all, after the week we've had, it’s nice to get three points away from home," a relieved Maclaren told Fox Sports.
"It's been a long week. I played 90 minutes as well in the week [in South Korea] and they are managing me but for me it's just good to get back on track with two goals and three points."
Newcastle Jets 1 Brisbane Roar 3
The result sees Roar move back into fourth, while the Jets remain eighth in the A-League table, three points outside the top six.
Maclaren lead the way for the visitors with an two goals, though he showed his frustration when he was withdrawn late on.
"I was disappointed coming off because I thought I could've had three," he said.
The two goals were timely given the Socceroos' World Cup qualifiers later this month, though the 23-year-old striker said he wasn't thinking about the national team at the moment.
It's been a mammoth 43 days with 11 games across four countries for Roar but they now have some time to recover before the ACL begins again next week.
In the A-League, Roar's next game is away to Adelaide United on Sunday March 19 as part of the upcoming split round.
-min.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)