And that's not accounting for time pushing a lawnmower, earning extra money around the Sutherland Shire. The reason? The 24-year-old Cronulla Caringbah junior has had to endure three knee reconstructive surgeries.

Little wonder then that Porter has only just made the top grade, with a great debut co-inciding with the Sharks' 13-10 win over Parramatta last Saturday and the side breaking a horror nine-game losing sequence.

Afterwards a delighted coach Ricky Stuart said of Porter: ``I don't think I've ever seen a halfback as comfortable or as cohesive on debut as he was.''

Those who have watched Porter, who lives at home near Wanda Beach, would not have been surprised. His problem has been getting a run in the NRL team behind the bigger Brett Seymour (out injured for another month) and Blake Green.

He played juniors with Cronulla Caringbah, made Matthews Cup, SG Ball and Jersey Flegg rep sides with the likes of Sharks team-mate, Reece Williams and former Sharks, Keith Galloway and good mate Russ Aitken. His 2005 Sharks Flegg side made the grand final, going down to the Sydney Roosters in extra time.

But Porter's knee problems robbed him blind. He switched to the Roosters for one season, then a stint in the Queensland Cup with the Central Queensland Comets in Rockhampton, but a third knee operation, after returning to the shire last year, cut short a planned season with the Cronulla Cobras.

Porter says the only knee pain he gets is when he pushes the mower ``for too long''. If he can snare an NRL contract he will farm his lawnmowing business out to someone else and his miserly $1500 sign-on fee and $300-a-week winning bonuses will be a thing of the past.