The loss handed undefeated competition leaders Coffs Snappers a handy three-point break at the top of the ladder.

Disappointed Vikings coach Mark Howard admitted his side now faced an uphill battle to finish on top of the pile as they shoot for four-straight grand final wins.

“If we wanted to crack the minor premiership we needed to win that game on Saturday so that’s really disappointing,” he said.

“It’s now up to the Snappers (what happens from here) because they’re still undefeated although a top two finish is important.

“You get that home semi-final first up if you finish in first spot.”

The one-point defeat was the Vikings second-straight on the road to the Marlins.

Howard was left frustrated at the constant stream of penalties and errors from his side.

“I thought we turned the corner last week with giving away stupid penalties,” he said.

Howard admitted the Marlins had found a game plan that worked, despite sitting in a lowly sixth position on the ladder.

“They turned our big fellas around,” he said.

“Every team has their bogey team and the Marlins seem to be ours. It hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for us.

“You could say it’s a case of the highway blues because whenever we go to Coffs Harbour we seem to struggle.

“There is some mental block there and I wish I knew how to fix it.”

The absence of several key players disrupted the Vikings game plan.

Dave Kearsey (calf), Kenny Anderson (work commitments) and Glen Littler (holidays) didn’t make the trip north, but Howard wasn’t using it as an excuse.

“There are no excuses from us, we weren’t good enough.”