Senior Players List

Season by Season

• Karnezis added considerable bulk to his light frame over the off-season, but struggled to recapture his form from the previous season during the NAB Cup pre-season period.

• It wasn’t until Round 5 that he received his first senior call-up for 2012, but after having only limited impact in the next four matches, he was sent back to the NEAFL to regain his touch.

• In a bid to improve his match fitness and running capacity, Karnezis was trialled as a midfielder in the NEAFL and responded with a string of standout performances, where his cunningness around goals was more than matched by his supreme ball-winning ability.

• Despite his obvious advancements, Karnezis still struggled to translate his form at senior level and finished with a total of just seven senior games for the season.  

• His dominance at State League level was recognised at the 2012 Grogan Medal when he was the Lions Reserves’ highest vote-getter.

• He also was a valuable member of the Club’s first State League Premiership in 11 years, collecting 33 disposals against the NT Thunder in the NEAFL Grand Final triumph.  

• Karnezis spent much of his pre-season in the gym trying to bulk up his slight 80kg frame, before lining up with the Lions Reserves throughout the first half of the season.

• A 191cm swingman, Karnezis was trialled in a number of positions - and showed class beyond his years. But it was up forward where he proved most dangerous and regularly contributed bags of goals.

• In Round 13, he earned his first selection in the senior team to play Richmond at the Gabba, starting on the interchange bench as the substitute.

• But an injury to Mitch Clark activated Karnezis, who proceeded to join rare company by booting goals with each of his first kicks. He immediately had the attention of the Lions fans who had found a new cult hero.

• He held his position in the team for the remaining 11 matches and made a valuable contribution as a third tall forward - kicking goals in all but one of his matches and bagging two goals in seven of his 11 outings.  

• One of his finest performances was against eventual Premiers Geelong, when he collected a season-high 14 disposals and kicked two goals (and two behinds) as the Cats found it difficult to find a suitable match-up for the clever Victorian.   

• He was desperately unlucky not to earn an AFL Rising Star Nomination by season's end, but was ultimately recognised by the Club as the Lions' 2011 Rookie of the Year.