It was a good first half display that saw them take the lead thanks to another Matt Thompson goal only to concede close to half time.

The team clearly tired in the second half as North Queensland increased the intensity and eventually took the lead through a well-taken volley from Chris Tadrosse that proved to be the winner.

The defeat left the Jets in sixth place as Perth Glory and Wellington both secured wins.

It also meant that Branko Culina had some nervous moments ahead with a tricky visit to the Central Coast Mariners scheduled for Saturday.

However, for the second game in a row for the Jets their fixture was called off due to weather conditions with a water-logged pitch that was totally unplayable.

The game was rescheduled for the Monday night, February 8, as The Star went to the press.

You can read about the game in The Star next week.

Ironically, the Jets managed to qualify for finals play offs without even kicking a ball.

The only team that could overtake them in sixth place was Brisbane but they suffered defeat at the hands of Adelaide on Saturday, which meant the Jets will finish no lower than their current standing.

Good news for Culina but the coach will be hoping to go one or two places better.

The final match at home to Adelaide on Friday could well determine if they can move further up the table.

The new finals system will still take four weeks.

The top two will play each other home and away in the first two weeks, with the winner to get a week’s rest and go straight to the grand final.

In week one, third will play sixth and fourth take on fifth in sudden-death ties.

The two losers will be elimin-ated, while the winners will play a sudden death eliminator in week two.

The winner of this tie will meet the loser of the top-two clash in week three, with the winner of that game going into the championship decider.