NRL: Michael Ennis makes ominous slip up

Cronulla Sharks hooker Michael Ennis. Photo / Getty Images

Sharks star Michael Ennis had an unfortunate Freudian slip during Tuesday night's filming of Fox Sports' NRL 360.

The retiring menace's slip of the tongue suggested the 32-year-old may already have one eye on retirement ahead of his team's blockbuster qualifying final clash with the Raiders at GIO Stadium on Saturday.

Ennis' small brain fart did not go unnoticed by his fellow panel members, who seized on the opportunity to give the serial pest some of his own medicine.

The NRL veteran was asked to share his opinion on the merits and pitfalls of introducing the trialled captain's challenge for the 2017 season, when he may have revealed a little too much.

"Mate, introduce what you like, I'm out of here in a fortnight," Ennis said, before realising his error.

He then quickly blurted: "Four weeks."

The damage was already done.

Ennis' "fortnight" comment will almost certainly be re-visited if the Sharks fail to win the club's first NRL grand final, especially if they are bounced out in straight sets with back-to-back losses in the next fortnight.

Fellow panel member Benji Marshall was the first to pull Ennis up on his mistake.

Host Ben Ikin then stepped in to move the segment onto the next topic of discussion by saying: "That's a Freudian slip isn't it."

Fortunately, for Cronulla fans, not every senior Sharks player is thinking their season will be all over after the first two weeks of the finals.

Captain Paul Gallen on Monday declared teammate Ennis has at least three or four games to run before his career wraps up.

Speaking to Fox Sports at the NRL Finals Series launch at Allianz Stadium, Gallen said Ennis has actually shown more energy than most players heading into the finals series.

"Just his energy and cohesion in our attack and his enthusiasm in defence," Gallen said of Ennis.

"It's his last year. He knows he's down to his last three or four games so he's putting absolutely everything into it. He's really driving us at training. He's been really, really good."

Ennis on Tuesday admitted he is lucky to have the opportunity to play his last finals series after escaping charge by the NRL Match Review Committee for a shoulder charge on Melbourne playmaker Blake Green last week.

Marshall even said to Ennis' face that he should have been suspended for at least one match for the late hit on Green - considering Raiders fullback Jack Wighton was initially hit with a potential four match ban for his tackle on Tigers forward Joel Edwards.

Wighton was cleared in an NRL judiciary hearing.

"The inconsistencies around the judiciary, we've talked about it 100 times on the show this year with the same thing," Marshall said.

"What happens to Wighton, the same should happen... I think he (Ennis) should have got charged."