Bashful Meninga bounced from bar Marching orders: Mal Meninga. Queensland coach Mal Meninga was asked to leave a bar in Brisbane on Tuesday night while celebrating the birthdays of Maroons stars Billy Slater and Cameron Smith. While NSW's preparation for the second State of Origin next Wednesday has been marred by Blake Ferguson and James Tamou being stood down, Queensland's lead-in has also taken a sour turn. The incident will be embarrassing for Meninga, who earlier this week was critical of players affecting the image of the game. Ferguson was on Wednesday given four weeks to prove to officials from Canberra and the NRL that he could return to football, having been charged with indecent assault after a late night incident in Cronulla. Meninga's exit from the Down Under Bar and Grill, having walked behind the bar, is clearly at the low end of the scale in terms of seriousness, but the timing is unfortunate. NRL officials, who were kept informed on developments throughout Wednesday, will speak further with Queensland officials on Thursday. Meninga admitted he had erred, telling Fairfax Media: "We were celebrating Billy and Smithy's 30th and some of us went to a place called the Down Under Bar. I had a beer, then another beer and it was pretty busy so I just went behind the bar and asked for another beer and they said, 'You're not allowed to be there.' I said 'Fair enough' and then the manager came and said I had to go, so I went. I wasn't intoxicated. I left of my own volition really. It wasn't an issue. I didn't even argue. I realised I'd done the wrong thing and probably shouldn't have done it so I said 'Fair enough' and left. It was as simple as that. In effect, I acted responsibly. Some people will argue, 'What are you doing out at one o'clock in the morning' but please, I'm an adult. I wasn't in trouble or anything. I did the right thing. I've got nothing to hide. I remember it vividly. There was no ruckus, no confrontation. I just did what I was told. Halfback Johnathan Thurston and coaching assistant Allan Langer were involved in discussions before security asked Meninga to leave. He was given a bottle of water and left the bar. While a far more minor issue than the ones dogging the Blues, it is not an ideal development for Queensland as the team try to avoid defeat in a State of Origin series for the first time since 2005. Fairfax Media understands the group, having travelled from camp on the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane, were at the Regatta Hotel earlier in the night before heading to the bar. Ferguson, meanwhile, will be required to undertake an extensive alcohol management program before he will be considered again for selection for the Raiders. After meeting with Ferguson on Tuesday, the Canberra board decided to take the action, after he was dumped from the NSW squad on Monday. NRL chief executive Dave Smith reiterated on Wednesday that bad behaviour would lead to players being suspended. ""The bad behaviours that we've seen are not acceptable to the fans, they're not acceptable to the players and they're not acceptable to us,"" Smith said. ""It won't be tolerated and I think you've seen some strong, consistent action from us. ""Those players involved with bad behaviour will find themselves on the sidelines. That's pretty much it, that's the long and short of it, I've sent a clear consistent message throughout and that's what will continue."" Smith stopped short of saying his reaction to recent events had drawn a line in the sand. ""I wouldn't call it a line in the sand, you've got to make sure we also keep perspective with the vast, vast majority of players who do the right thing,"" he said. ""We watch some great footy, great players. I want to keep that in perspective, we've got Origin next week and the comp is going pretty well so far. But the clear message is it is not acceptable behaviour and if you do conduct unacceptable behaviour you're going to find yourself on the sidelines.""