Melbourne Victory's A-League championship defence is over after the Newcastle Jets doomed them to finals oblivion with a 3-1 victory at Telstra Dome.

Two moments of Joel Griffiths magic effectively killed off the Victory's top four hopes, and powered the Jets back into the race for a top two berth.

But the Victory, dominant champions last season, are now locked in a race to avoid finishing with the competition wooden spoon after coughing up an early 1-0 lead.

They sit just one point above last-placed Perth and on equal points with Wellington Phoenix - a pale shadow in performance and ladder position of the side which carved up the A-League last season.

Needing to win to keep their finals hopes alive, the Victory got the early goal they craved after just 11 minutes when Carlos Hernandez snuck in between two Jets defenders to turn in an Adrian Caceres cross.

But after the Victory dominated first half possession yet failed to create any real clear chances, Newcastle's Brazilian midfielder Denni made them pay with an equaliser of quality in the 41st minute.

His low volley from a Matt Thompson cross rocketed into the net, and the Victory's finals lifeline was dangling like a noose.

It was Griffiths who left the Victory swinging, producing a beautifully struck free-kick in the 54th minute which bent inside the right-hand upright to give his side the lead.

Then Griffiths struck again on 76 minutes, squirming between two Victory defenders and shooting low and wide of goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos to finish off last season's champions in style.

Newcastle have now leapt into third place, two points behind second-placed Queensland and two above fourth-placed Adelaide United with four matches remaining.

Victory coach Ernie Merrick said his players were devastated by the defeat, believing they had let down the A-League's largest fan base, and admitting this season had been a disappointment.

"You've got to get in the finals, you've got to stand up and be the team you were last year and we weren't been able to do that," Merrick said.

"It's about scoring goals and not conceding goals, and considering the amount of possession we had in the first half, going in at 1-1 was a bit hard to take.

"This year has been a tough year to take."

Jets coach Gary van Egmond described his side's come-from-behind performance as their best of the season - just a week after losing to a 10-man Sydney FC.

"The character of the team really stood up today - it was our best win of the season," van Egmond said.

The only dampener on the Jets' win was the prospect two-goal hero Griffiths will miss his side's next game in a fortnight after picking up his fourth yellow card of the season.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP