The then 18-year-old was leaving his North Balwyn home in Melbourne for the first time, and settling in at an interstate club was tough.
It's a problem many draftees face, and Karnezis, taken at no.25 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, was no exception.
Recruited from the Oakleigh Chargers, the mid-sized forward was leaving behind his Greek-born parents Con and Sandra and older brother Leigh.
It was something that took a little getting used to.
But seven months later Karnezis announced himself to the AFL public last Saturday night when he kicked two goals with his first two kicks on debut against Richmond.
His short career has already been quite a ride.
"I come from a pretty tight family and getting drafted to Brisbane was a blessing, but at the start it was awkward, for mum especially," Karnezis, now 19, said.
"It was pretty tough for mum and dad and my brother and extended family, and even some mates as well.
"We all live around the same area so we were always popping in and out of each other's houses. Dad was trying to be supportive but even him trying to be the tough one struggled a bit at the start as well.
"I got told I was going to live with Xavier Clarke at the start. There wasn't a word spoken between us the first week or so, I was too scared or too nervous, I didn't know what was going on.
"I remember texting dad saying 'I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm that scared', but I've really enjoyed every bit of it.
"It's been a long journey from where I started but it's amazing to see how far I've come and how much I've grown up."
After the initial fears, Karnezis says he feels right at home with the Lions.
He and Clarke now also live with Brent Staker, and the youngster of the trio said the older pair has had a big influence on him.
Karnezis came to Brisbane as a lightly framed work in progress, and said he had no expectations of playing senior footy in 2011.
However, after some impressive performances in the reserves, Michael Voss gave him an opportunity last week and the teenager took it with open arms.
He came on as a substitute after half-time for the injured Mitch Clark, and promptly kicked two goals with his first two kicks - the first a snap, the second a mark and set shot on the stroke of three-quarter time.
"The first one I just sprinted my way back forward and Browny was open, then he had about four Richmond players on him and I just got the handball from him and chucked it on my left boot," he said.
"It was all so weird and after that, we were in front and going well and at that time and I thought 'Jeez, I've kicked my first goal with my first kick'.
"The second one I somehow got free and lined it up and it went through, fortunately.
"I felt all right and that I could match it."
While realising he still has a way to go physically, Karnezis is now confident that given time he can mix it on field.
With everything sailing along nicely in the Clarke-Karnezis-Staker household, his parents now visit monthly and cann rest assured their son is making a fine fist of his crack at AFL.
"Having a bit of a go for a couple of quarters and seeing what it's like and seeing I coped okay, I've just got that motivation to keep going and see how far I can go for the rest of the year," he said.
