FORMER North Melbourne star Corey McKernan says his opinion on a lost Brownlow Medal has finally changed after Nat Fyfe escaped suspension this week. 

McKernan was ineligible for the 1996 award after he was suspended for kneeing and falling into the back of Geelong ruckman John Barnes.

He polled the equal most votes with winners James Hird and Michael Voss but was left empty handed.

Fyfe was fined $1000 by the Match Review Panel for a trip on Western Bulldog Koby Stevens, an outcome which fits the AFL's new leaner rulings of on-field infringements. 

While that decision was well received by most in football, McKernan found himself asking questions. 

"It is quite interesting, that for a hell of a lot of years, I did have the same opinion but I think if you look at the facts of how we're actually going to vote for the award, I think they have changed," McKernan told Channel Nine. 

"Over summer we changed the rules in how you win one of the best awards in the land, I think everyone sees that.

"I know to be suspended you can't win it, if we're going to go down the path of actually lower level type incidents, it opens up Pandora's Box in my eyes." 

Until the Fyfe adjudication, McKernan had been comfortable with his fate that beset him 19 years ago.

"I think for a hell of a long time, a week was a week, we all knew that," he said. 

"I was the biggest spokesperson of going 'you know what, (the) Brownlow, that's their rules'. 

"It does really seem to me now the rules have changed, it's different. 

"We all agree the incident with Nat Fyfe, like I keep saying it's great he gets off but in terms of where you stop with those trivial incidents, in my eyes it seems you've changed the nature of how you interpret the award."

McKernan and Western Bulldog Chris Grant (1997) are the only players to poll enough votes to win a Brownlow, but unable to claim the prize due to suspension.