McKERNAN, Shaun

Shaun McKernan was recruited to Essendon at pick 12 in the 2014 AFL Rookie Draft. He had previously played 34 games and kicked 21 goals with Adelaide between 2009 and 2014 until he was delisted at the end of the 2014 season.

He made his Essendon debut in Round 7, 2015, in a loss against North Melbourne, and played 15 games in the next two seasons.

A good mark and an accurate kick, he was a handy forward player who could also take an occasional run in the ruck.

He was delisted at the end of 2015, despite finishing tenth in the Best and Fairest award, but was immediately selected again by Essendon in the 2017 Rookie Draft. He played a further 38 games before being delisted again at the end of the 2020 season. He said he had fallen out of the game and was unhappy with how his time at Essendon had ended.

Several clubs expressed interest but he signed with St Kilda as a free agent in November 2020. He played four games for the Saints in 2021 but retired when he wasn't offered a contract for 2022.

In 2022, he returned to his original club, Tullamarine, in the EDFL and won the Bill Hutchison Medal as the League's best and fairest player. He moved to Bundoora in the Northern Football League 2023.

Shaun McKernan is the brother of former North Melbourne player, Corey McKernan.