He quickly gained a reputation as a mobile and agile ruckman who was a strong overhead mark and a potent part-time forward.
Alternating between the ruck and forward line, McKernan was dominant, often turning games with his high leap, ability to regularly take contested marks, and long kicking.
To add to his list of honours, McKernan was named as the first ruck in the All-Australian team, and some experts had him ahead of teammate Carey as the best player in the league.
In North Melbourne's Preliminary Final defeat against St Kilda, McKernan dislocated his shoulder in the opening minutes and watched from the sidelines as his team went down by 31 points.
[1] After a disappointing 2003 at Carlton, McKernan returned to the Kangaroos for one last season in 2004, after which he retired due to injury and poor form.