David Kidwell has been sensationally stripped of the South Sydney captaincy after failing a breath test he had enforced.

Coach Jason Taylor said Roy Asotasi would be the Rabbitohs sole skipper "going forward" as the struggling NRL club dumped four more players for Sunday's match with North Queensland after all failed to register a zero breath-alcohol limit at the team's recovery session last Saturday.

Kidwell was saved from the axe.

But Taylor insisted his punishment was more severe, with the Kiwi international setting down the zero-alcohol stance himself following the Bunnies loss to Brisbane last Friday, their seven straight defeat to start the season.

"For David to say we're going to stick to a zero alcohol reading and for him not to follow that is very disappointing," Taylor said on the club's website.

"David is very disappointed with his own performance in that regard.

"David Kidwell will be removed as one of our captains, Roy Asotasi will be the sole captain of the South Sydney Rabbitohs going forward."

Eddie Paea, Jaiman Lowe, Fetuli Talanoa and Ben Rogers were the four other players sanctioned.

Souths players had agreed to a zero breath-alcohol limit at recovery sessions at the start of the season, but Taylor said it was Kidwell who made a point of setting down that rule after the 32-18 loss to Brisbane.

"The readings weren't abnormally high, but they were there and they were high enough for it to be clearly down to the fact the guys had had some beers the night before and more beers than they agreed to have," Taylor said, while adding there was no hint of players being involved in off-field incidents.

"You can certainly have two (beers) and be zero by the morning, but you can't if you have a few more than that and that was the case."

It is the second time this year the Rabbitohs have dumped a player for failing a breath test after former international Shannon Hegarty registered the lowest possible blood-alcohol reading of 0.01 following the pre-season Charity Shield.

Backrower David Fa'alogo was on the receiving end of the side's new-found tough stance earlier this year, when he was sent home from the club's trip to Florida following an altercation with a Jacksonville man.

The Kidwell drama capped another miserable day for the Bunnies this season with the wooden-spoon favourites, winless after seven rounds, fined $70,625 for breaches of the salary cap in 2007.

The Rabbitohs were the hardest hit of the six clubs handed fines, with the club saying it would be "reviewing its position with regards to the ruling and the severity of the fine".

Taylor has named his team for the Cowboys clash at ANZ Stadium with Dean Widders to start at five-eighth and Issac Luke shifted from hooker to halfback.

Rookie John Tamanika will make his NRL debut on the wing, with Beau Falloon and Eddy Pettybourne added on the interchange bench.

Fullback Talanoa was already expected to miss Sunday's match after picking up a knee injury in the 32-18 loss to Brisbane.

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