"Ross Dog" rejoined Kurri Kurri - the club he inspired to the 2013 grand final - this season after his 60-game NRL career ended with a medical retirement in 2018 for a groin injury.

Back-to-back calf tears, a one-week suspension and then a serious hamstring injury limited the 32-year-old's return at Kurri to just three games and it was believed his season was over.

However, after a regiment of long-distance running and renewed commitment to diet, Ross made a shock return for the Bulldogs on Sunday against Souths. Ross played the first half of reserve grade, before running on in firsts after 20 minutes.

"We were down on numbers and I knew if my body was strong enough, as tough a season as it is, I knew I wanted to try and finish on a positive note," Ross said.

Ross is a certain starter for the Bulldogs' final game on Saturday against Cessnock at Kurri Sportsground, but his future is unclear. Initially Ross rejoined Kurri to play with friends captain-coach Mitch Cullen and Peter Cronin, who are retiring.

"My options are open at the moment," he said. "I'll go around again for sure. I've got two or three years left in me to be honest. What I've learnt at the beginning of this year is that I can't jump up from my desk job and play footy. I've gotta get that volume in my legs in the off-season."