CRONULLA veteran Paul Gallen has revealed he plans to play on in the NRL until the end of 2017.

The NSW skipper will be 35 years old when the 2017 season kicks off, and 36 when it finishes, but is determined to squeeze two more years out of his career.

“As long as I keep playing well I’d like to play again in 2017,” Gallen told sportingnews.com.

“It’s Cronulla’s 50th year in the competition and I’d like to be part of that.”

The 2016 season will be Gallen’s 16th in the NRL, and if all goes to plan he will retire with at least 17 seasons under his belt.

NRL Summer Series begins next Tuesday night with a one-hour special presentation. Greg Alexander, Braith Anasta and Michael Ennis decide on Fox Sports’ Team of the Year of 2015. Hosted by Andrew Voss — Tuesday, 8:30pm, Fox Sports 501.

When his last contract expired this year the negotiations to extend his stay in the Shire were protracted as both parties played a tug-of-war with details and clauses.

It got to the point of Gallen threatening to walk away from the Sharks, who he has played with his entire career.

“My manager’s meeting with the club next week to try to finalise things or I’ll have to consider other options, but certainly my main priority is to stay at Cronulla,” he said in July.

Gallen eventually penned a one-year deal, and it was widely considered 2016 would be his last season in Australia.

Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan admitted in June he was frustrated by the number of club games Gallen had missed through injury and unavailability in past years.

The Blues forward played just nine games for the Sharks in 2014, and a total of 57 over the past four seasons.

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Flanagan also declared Gallen wouldn’t be playing Origin past 2015, which the latter was openly disappointed with.

“I have done everything I can for the club,” Gallen told Fairfax Media.

“Part of the reason some of the players have come to the club, guys like Luke Lewis, Wade Graham and Chris Heighington, is because I was there and I don’t have that profile unless I am NSW captain, unless I am playing rep football.”