RUGBY UNION: McKimms Grafton Redmen have left their top four hopes in severe jeopardy after going down 21-17 to Southern Cross University at Marlin Park Coffs Harbour on Saturday.

A Redmen victory looked certain until an ugly incident late in the game saw both sides involved in a melee before calm was restored.

Leading 17-14 with only minutes remaining on the clock, veteran Redmen scrumhalf Brett Graham appeared to be on the receiving end of a headbutt from a Marlins player, which consequently saw two red cards and two yellow cards issued by the match referee.

It proved to be pivotal moment in the game.

With both sides down to 13 players, Marlins' representative fullback Josh Rayner delivered the killer blow after he found himself in space down the short side before delivering a well-timed pass to his five-eighth to score under the posts.

The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Redmen, who were the better side for the majority of the contest.

Redmen captain Kyle Hancock looked dejected after the game, describing the alleged headbutt on Graham as a "low act".

"It was a blatant headbutt in front of everyone and it doesn't get called by three officials," Hancock said.

"It was an unsavoury incident and a disappointing way to end a game."

A highlight of the match was the fullback battle between Rayner and Hancock with both players having a huge influence on the game.

Also the experiment to move Jarrod Lipscombe from scrumhalf to five-eighth paid dividends with his vision and ability to control the game.

Things won't get any easier for Grafton, who travel to Coffs Harbour next week to take on arch-rivals Coffs Snappers.

Hancock still believes his side can feature in the semi-finals but added players need to change their attitude towards training.

"Fitness is a huge issue for us at the moment. Some players think they can turn up for an hour on Thursday night and expect to win footy games… it's not good enough," he said.

Grafton also suffered a loss against Marlins in second-grade, going down 23-17.