Brisbane Roar a title contender after defeating Central Coast Mariners Luke Bratten (Roar) and John Hutchinson fight for possession. A-League followers who pegged this season as a three-way battle between Central Coast, Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney had better expand it to four. Brisbane Roar is the real deal. Its hot pre-season form was scoffed at by many but Mike Mulvey's side is a contender. Sunday's 1-0 win over the Mariners in Gosford confirmed it. Whether it can go the distance is another matter but to come to Bluetongue Stadium, dominate possession and create more chances is a marvellous pointer of things to come. The win was achieved in the 89th minute when a spectacular strike from Kwame Yeboah settled the result. Yeboah, who came on as a substitute minutes earlier, took a clever forward touch on the edge of the area before blasting his effort into the roof of Liam Reddy's net. The Roar deserved it, not least because it was missing Besart Berisha, Shane Stefanutto, Liam Miller and Jade North. We had to get a shot in during the second half eventually and thankfully it came off. Had the 19-year-old's effort not swerved home, the story of the day would surely have been Reddy. Almost 18 months ago, Reddy was sacked by Sydney FC for being drunk on a flight to Wellington before a preliminary final and his professional career looked over. But he never gave up on his mission to get back to the top and after stints in Iran and the NSW Premier League, Graham Arnold threw him a lifeline at the Mariners. Given his first start after a howler by Justin Pasfield last week, Reddy clasped his chance and provided a brilliant display, which looked set to be a clean sheet until Yeboah's wonder goal. Having also been moved on by the Roar when Ange Postecoglou arrived, it would have added even more justice to the occasion. Still, being back in the frame and playing as well as he did should prove Reddy with plenty of satisfaction. The signs were all there from the start that this would be a match of genuine quality, for the speed was lively and the passes crisp. Formations were tight but flexible, a genuine sign of the tactical awareness of both coaches. Any time Trent Sainsbury wanted to move up the park, Mariners' captain John Hutchinson would drop into defence. But Brisbane hardly looked uncomfortable and its slick distribution helped it dominate possession.