Cowboys enforcer Josh McGuire faces suspension for a foul-mouthed tirade at NRL referee Grant Atkins in Sunday's clash.

McGuire was sent to the sin bin in the first half of his side's 36-20 loss to the Melbourne Storm on the Sunshine Coast for the vile spray.

It was not clear at the time what the 30-year old said to Atkins which caused him to be sent off after getting up from a tackle.

However, the ref's audio mic has revealed the foul audio.

“F*** me, c***”, McGuire said to Atkins.

Atkins then blew his whistle to stop the play, before responding: “You can go to the bin for that.

“I’m not copping that dissent, I’m not going to repeat what you said but you can go.”

The Storm scored twice in the period that McGuire was off the ground to lock up a top-two finish.