Thwarted southern drudge called the shots (8)
I believe the answer is:
shackled
'thwarted' is the definition.
'southern drudge called the shots' is the wordplay.
'southern' becomes 's' (abbreviation).
'drudge' becomes 'hack' (synonyms).
'called the shots' becomes 'led' (to call the shots is to lead or be in charge).
's'+'hack'+'led'='SHACKLED'
(Other definitions for shackled that I've seen before include "In chains" , "Confined, as with fetters" , "Restrained" .)