South Sydney forward George Burgess' NRL season has hit a new low after he accepted a four-game ban for a shoulder charge on Brisbane's Anthony Milford.
The Rabbitohs took the early guilty plea on Burgess' grade two charge for the 63rd-minute hit on Friday night, ruling him out until after the club's round 13 bye.
The suspension is the latest setback to a troubled start to the year for Burgess and comes two weeks after his return from a two-game striking charge in round three.
The Englishman escaped sanction for an elbow in round six and was overlooked by Souths coach Michael Magurie in round one due to poor form.
Burgess' ban compounds the Rabbitohs' controversial one-point loss to the Broncos that was marred by refereeing mistakes that cost them a spot in the top eight.
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Veteran teammate John Sutton admitted feeling frustrated by the inability of Burgess to stay off the sidelines given his impact on the field.
Burgess had carried the ball for 117 metres against the Broncos.
"His runs in the game were very strong but you can't shoulder charge and we'll just cop what he gets and move on," Sutton said on Sunday.
"George has been going well for us. He's had a couple of brain snaps but he's just going to have to spend some time on the sideline, work hard and get back on the field."
Burgess would have risked a five-game ban had he chosen to fight the charge and he'll now miss games against Manly, Wests Tigers, Melbourne and Parramatta.
Forwards Robbie Rochow and Tyrell Fuimaono are among the candidates to be named in Burgess' place for their next match against the Sea Eagles on Friday.
Halfback Adam Reynolds is set to return from a one-game absence with a hip problem.
