The tough winger has had to endure plenty of diagnosed — and undiagnosed — problems since his early teens, starting in 2004 when he broke his right leg while playing schoolboy football for Toowoomba Grammar and underwent the first of many operations.

By the time he was in year 11, it was found the talented speedster had been running without an anterior cruciate ligament, one of the knee's major ligaments.

"I used to hyper-extend all the time," he said.

So more surgery followed.

The Glen Innes youngster was snapped up by the Sharks and made his way through the under 20's to first grade, halfway through 2009.

But in August last year the same knee gave way during a game.

"It was only a month or so after our other winger, Luke Covell, had undergone LARS [ligament augmentation and reconstruction system) for his own troublesome knee," said Stapleton, now 21.

While the new surgery was controversial, Stapleton said Covell's operation proved so successful he "decided to follow suit" and had the same specialist (Craig Waller) perform the operation.

"The op was great . . . I could have played within three months but of course I had the off season so I used it to strengthen the leg," Stapleton said.

"The operation probably saved me about nine months [compared with] if I'd elected normal [reconstructive] surgery."

Stapleton also used the time to build himself up, adding six kilograms to his frame (he is now 95 kilograms).

He started the new year slowly, before gradually regaining his confidence playing for Cronulla in the NSW Cup competition.

One of the competition's leading pointscorers through his tryscoring and goalkicking, he was finally rewarded when Sharks coach Shane Flanagan selected him for first grade two weeks ago (against Brisbane) and against the Bulldogs, after the team's bye.

Stapleton knows he and fellow winger Matthew Wright face plenty of opposition for their spots from the likes of talented junior Stewart Mills, North Queensland recruit John Williams and Isaac Gordon, who have also been sidelined this season through injury.

"My knee is great now and with the extra muscle I'm feeling better in attack and defence," he said.