A veteran of some 263 games for five NRL clubs, Ennis retires at the peak of his powers, having helped guide the Sharks to the top spot on the 2016 NRL ladder after 20 rounds.

The 32-year-old made his NRL debut for the Newcastle Knights in a round 20 against the Wests Tigers in 2003.

He was also a member of the successful Broncos squad in 2006, however a season-ending knee injury suffered earlier in the year prevented him from being part of Brisbane’s grand final triumph.

Ennis guided the Bulldogs to the grand final in 2014, only to miss the premiership decider as a result of an injury suffered in the qualifying finals match the week prior.

He was hooker and captain in 2012 in a 14-4 grand final loss by the Bulldogs to the Melbourne Storm.

Ennis was expected to take up a one-year contract extension with Cronulla before retiring at the end of the 2017 season.

The hooker has been mulling over the decision to retire for at least the past six weeks.