Cronulla were equally hungry following a thumping by the Knights and they got an early gift when Dave Taylor batted a towering kick-off over the sideline. However, the Sharks' first attack was foiled by a poor dummy-half pass from Isaac De Gois.
The Rabbitohs' nervous start continued when Inglis dropped the ball in his first run since his three-week suspension.
The Sharks finally struck in the 19th minute when halfback Jeff Robson dummied, stepped and then found an inside ball from front-rower Andrew Fiffita to score the first try.
Todd Carney converted to take the Sharks to a 6-0 lead.
The Sharks were given another opportunity four minutes later when Souths centre Dylan Farrell was penalised.
With a full set at their disposal inside Souths' 20m zone, Cronulla raised eyebrows when they threw the ball to Carney for a shot at a penalty goal.
The conservative play proved the wrong option, with Carney spraying the kick wide and Souths' defence from the restart kept the Sharks at bay.
Both sides looked off their game as the arm-wrestle continued for the rest of the opening 40 minutes.
Souths got off to another poor start in the second half with Ben Lowe giving away a penalty for a high shot.
The Rabbitohs were given an opportunity to hit back in the 53rd minute when Cronulla were penalised for pushing Taylor.
And it was Burgess who put Souths back in the game when he touched down.
Adam Reynolds slotted the conversion to lock it up a 6-6.
But it was the Sharks who finished the stronger.
Sharks 20 (A. Fifita, T. Frizell, J. Williams tries; T. Carney 4 goals) Rabbitohs 7 (S. Burgess try; A. Reynolds goal, field goal). Halftime: Sharks 6-0.
