WHEN you talk about bad luck, not many players can say they've had it worse than Brisbane Lions livewire Xavier Clarke.

The 27-year-old has played just 15 minutes of senior football in the past three seasons.

In 2009 while playing for St Kilda Clarke underwent a full reconstruction on his left knee.

Then, after being traded to the Lions at the end of that season, he tore his hamstring in his only appearance for his new club in the round-18 match against Melbourne.

Just when he thought things could not get any worse, Clarke ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in January pre-season training and was staring down the barrel of another lengthy recovery.

But this time he chose to undergo the LARS surgery, and he has already completed three games for the Lions reserves.

The recovery from the modern surgery still has Clarke shaking his head in amazement.

Walking after one week, body squatting after two weeks and running after four weeks is a far cry from the 12-month rehabilitation of his previous reconstruction.

"It is amazing to be able to get back in 12 weeks," he said.

"It is an amazing surgery to have done and I think I'm pretty fortunate to get it in January to give myself a chance to get back playing and hopefully crack back into the side in the next few weeks."

Clarke said after his previous rehab there was no hesitation in going with the LARS option.

"I knew what I went through with my other knee and I wasn't sure if I could go through that again," he said.

"With LARS you get so many more positives quicker along the way. It's that quicker process that gives you more of a boost throughout your rehab.

"You can sit around and sook and say 'Why me?' but that's why it was important I got the LARS. As soon as I could get up and move around I wanted to push things as hard as I could and show that I have a little bit to offer."

Clarke played 105 matches for the Saints between 2002 and 2008 before being traded.

After such minimal football since coming north, Clarke feels he owes the Lions something.

And after three matches in the reserves he now has full confidence to take the game on, twist, turn, be tackled and do everything he could do pre-surgery.

"I played some good footy at the Saints but deep down, my gut feeling is I maybe haven't reached my full potential with my skills and what I have to offer, and a lot of that is due to injury," he said.

"But I'm 27 and I'd like to think I've got a few [kilometres] in the legs considering I haven't played much in the last few years. There's no doubt I still believe I've got a fair bit to offer the Brisbane Lions footy club.

"I'd like to get back and play senior footy, but it's all got to do with where the club see me at. We're playing a few young players at the moment and it's important we do get games into these boys, but if it's this week or the next couple, for me the sense of getting back and playing senior footy would mean so much."