Aaron Cornelius Biography

The playing career of former Brisbane Lion Aaron Cornelius is in limbo after dislocating his left knee in a horrific playing incident at the weekend.

Cornelius, player-coach of Tasmanian State League team Glenorchy, took a spectacular goalsquare mark before landing awkwardly and dislocating his knee.

The impact also severed a blood vessel that supplies blood below the knee.

Cornelius has since had two surgeries and is still in ICU at Royal Hobart Hospital.

Speaking to The Mercury newspaper in Tasmania, Cornelius' father David said it was too early to tell if the 24-year-old would play again.

"The doctor said this morning that if he did break his femur, it would have been better," he said.

"What happened is, because he has dislocated his knee, when it went sideways and smashed his whole knee, it severed the vessel which supplies the bottom of your leg with blood.

"The surgeon was quite happy in what he found but it's still a mess. He has got rods in his leg and he is in a bad way.

"At the moment, I feel footy is secondary.

"I know footy means a lot to him and it has been his life, but at the end of the day, it is his health and wellbeing and quality of life which is most important."

Brisbane Lion Aaron Cornelius has his sights set on breaking into the team's star-studded forward set-up after improving his size and strength this pre-season.

"Playing in the reserves or the under-18s, I suppose talent can get you through, but when you get to the highest level you need to be physical with the bigger guys, so the gym isn't really something I can choose, I had to get in there and do the work," he said.

"It's been enjoyable to see the improvements in the gym, in the weights, and I'm looking forward to getting into the games to try out the new weight and strength that i have, to see how much I've improved."