IT WAS a kick in the guts not many - including the man himself - saw coming.
When Pat Karnezis was left out of the Brisbane Lions team to play Melbourne in round one, more than a few eyebrows were raised.
The 20-year-old marking forward was a revelation in his first season, kicking 17 goals in 11 matches and winning the club's Rookie of the Year award.
He worked hard in the pre-season, putting on plenty of much-needed muscle, but was left to play reserves when round one came around.
"You could put it that way (a kick in the guts) but that's what happens in football," Karnezis said.
"You've got to learn from those things and I just tried to keep improving and not focus on anything else apart from working on my game, and that's reality."
With Mitch Clark going to the Demons and Brent Staker (knee) out for the season, Karnezis looked the obvious sidekick for captain Jonathan Brown in the forward line.
But coach Michael Voss preferred fullback Daniel Merrett, ruckman Matthew Leuenberger and fellow young forwards Ryan Lester and Aaron Cornelius to play up front before Karenzis got his chance.
The former Oakleigh Charger got recalled to the seniors against Geelong on Saturday night and came on as a substitute late in the third quarter in the wet and miserable conditions.
Unfortunately Karnezis had caught his teammates' disease of missed opportunities and finished the night with three behinds.
He was just glad to be back in the team though.
Karnezis spent a month in reserves and was pushed back to defence, where he said he learnt some valuable lessons.
"To be honest, it was a good thing. I had to work on a few areas of my game like my defensive game and my running, so it was good," he said.
"I'm not quite the defender, but trying to work on spoiling and being accountable for my man.
"It was good to learn another role and when I do play forward I can put that game into the forward line, tackling, and having the defensive mindset."
Karnezis admitted he was playing poorly during the pre-season and said he struggled to carry the extra weight he gained in the gym.
He said that was no longer an issue.
He worked well in the limited chances with Brown last year and was hoping to again strike up a partnership with the Lions' captain.
"It's really good working with Browny. It's a good experience having him there and helping you out. You can tell the difference when he's there with the forward line structure."
Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
