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Besart Berisha opened the scoring in the 14th minute for the hosts, benefitting when Thomas Broich dispossessed Manny Muscat in the Wellington half; the Brisbane striker displaying his trademark tenacity to receive the pass from Broich, shuffle past the imposing Ben Sigmund and finish strongly.
Jeremy Brockie sensationally levelled terms in the 37th minute for the visitors, the prolific striker scoring his tenth goal of the season, and first goal at Suncorp Stadium, by driving a thundering strike from 30 yards into the top corner.
Ben Halloran settled the result in Roar's favour on 58 minutes, converting his third of the campaign with a little help from the near post after Erik Paartalu teed the young attacker up on the edge of the area.
The combinations clicked early for Brisbane – Halloran unleashing Nichols down the left with a deft back heel on 7 minutes - but Wellington were first to fire a genuine salvo, Brockie attempting to chip Michael Theo following an innocuous Tony Lochhead free kick a minute later.
On ten minutes, Henrique picked off a pass on the right flank to set-up Brisbane’s first genuine attempt. The wily winger combining with Thomas Broich, then Paartalu, who in turn fed the unmarked Berisha. However, Berisha’s side footed effort lacked for power and was saved at the near post by Mark Paston.
Barely a minute later, Phoenix flirted with an opener again when Louis Fenton headed the ball wide from six-yards following Daniel Sanchez’s deftly delivered cross from a short corner.
Berisha’s opener came shortly after, but Wellington remained optimistic – Sanchez attempting to make amends for his prior mistake by firing a 20 yard speculator that faded wide on 19 minutes.
Increasingly, Halloran began to feature for Roar, the young winger firing wide on 22 minutes from the edge of the area and then almost squeezing a shot home from an acute angle in the 26th minute.
However, Phoenix regrouped defensively and began to threaten themselves without crafting a genuine scoring opportunity, before Brockie’s long-range shot squared the ledger.
The second half began cautiously, as both sides sought to avoid repeating the costly mistakes of the first half.
The first exchanges of the second stanza came on 54 minutes when Halloran cut the ball back from the byline for Berisha, the Albanian international’s first time strike denied by the outstretched hand of Paston.
Not to be outdone, less than a minute later Roar goalkeeper Michael Theo effected an impressive save of his own, denying Brockie a second after bringing down an early ball with his chest and firing a volleyed shot toward the top corner.
Still, Brisbane looked the team most likely, and two minutes later Halloran restored the hosts’ lead.
However, the defending champions suggested they were not done yet when Nichols displayed rarely utilised aerial agility, connecting solidly with a scissor kick volley nearing the hour mark, only to be denied by a stunning Paston save before Berisha blasted wide from the ensuing corner kick.
Wellington were under the pump against an increasingly confident Roar outfit and the visitor’s cause suffered a further setback when Boyd was sent off on 64 minutes for his second yellow card offense.
From there on, the defending champions’ attempted to turn the screws but a third goal proved elusive – Broich twice shooting directly at Paston on 77 and 82 minutes.
The final five minutes proved nervous for Roar when James Donachie was sent off for a second bookable offence, however, despite being set for a grandstand finish, the match petered out somewhat anticlimactically – Wellington reduced to nine men when Leo Bertos left the field with a head injury in the final minutes.
The result sees Brisbane leapfrog Wellington and return to the A-League top six for the first time since round three, the last time the team's met.
Both dismissed players will miss trips to Melbourne with their side next round - Boyd suspended for Phoenix's fixture against Victory, while Donachie will miss his side's game against Heart.
Muscat may also miss next round's fixture for Phoenix after throwing a series of elbows at Nick Fitzgerald in the latter stages of the match.
Berisha received a yellow card after complaining about the incident to referee Tim McGilchrist, and it appears likely the incident will be referred to the match review panel in coming days.
FINAL:
Brisbane Roar - 2 (Besart BERISHA 14”, Ben HALLORAN 58")
Wellington Phoenix – 1 (Jeremy BROCKIE 37")
Attendance: 11,358 @ Suncorp Stadium
Squads:
Brisbane Roar - 1 Michael THEO(gk), 2 Matt SMITH(c), 3 Shane STEFANUTTO, 5 Ivan FRANJIC, 6 Erik PAARTALU, 7 Besart BERISHA, 10 HENRIQUE, 11 Ben HALLORAN, 15 James DONACHIE, 17 Mitch NICHOLS, 22 Thomas BROICH
(Substitutes - 4 Matt JURMAN, 8 Massimo MURDOCCA, 20 Matt ACTON (gk), 24 Nick FITZGERALD)
Wellington Phoenix - 1 Mark PASTON (gk), 2 Manny MUSCAT, 3 Tony LOCHEAD, 7 Leo BERTOS, 11 Jeremy BROCKIE, 12 Tyler BOYD, 16 Louis FENTON, 17 Vince LIA, 18 Ben SIGMUND, 21 Daniel SANCHEZ, 22 Andrew DURANTE (c )
(Substitutes - 6 Alex SMITH, 9 Benjamin TOTORI, 10 Stein HUYSEGEUMS, 30 Griffin MCMASTER(gk))