Question: What one time All Australian North Melbourne player almost won a Brownlow Medal but was prevented due to suspension?

Context articles: 2015 Brownlow Medal
Charlie Gaudion
Corey McKernan
1996 Brownlow Medal
1993 Brownlow Medal
Jesse W. Smith
Dally O'Brien
2005 Brownlow Medal
1995 Brownlow Medal
Graeme Atkins

The 2015 Brownlow Medal was the 88th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season.
 Nat Fyfe of the Fremantle Football Club won the medal by polling thirty-one votes during the 2015 AFL season.
 He became the first Fremantle player to win the Brownlow Medal.
Charlie Gaudion (14 April 1904 – 10 October 1979) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
 He was the father of North Melbourne player Michael Gaudion.
Corey McKernan (born 19 December 1973) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Kangaroos and Carlton Blues in the Australian Football League (AFL).
 A dual Premiership player a one time All Australian at North Melbourne and one time club best and fairest winner and leading goal kicker at Carlton, McKernan was, at one time considered to be one of very best players in the country.
The 1996 Brownlow Medal was the 69th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season.
 Michael Voss of the Brisbane Bears and James Hird of the Essendon Football Club both won the medal by polling twenty-one votes during the 1996 AFL season.
 Corey McKernan of the North Melbourne Football Club polled the same number of votes as Voss and Hird, but due to a tribunal suspension during the year, he was deemed ineligible to win the award.
 This caused some to call for the rules to be changed to allow suspended players to still be eligible.
 The eligibility rules have remained the same since then, relying on the "fairest" section of fairest and best to continue to exclude suspended players from being able to win the award.
 McKernan went on to be a member of North Melbourne's 1996 AFL Grand Final winning team, something that both Voss and Hird said that they would prefer over winning the medal.
The 1993 Brownlow Medal was the 66th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season.
 Gavin Wanganeen of the Essendon Football Club won the medal by polling eighteen votes during the 1993 AFL season.
 Wanganeen was the first Aboriginal player to win the Brownlow Medal in the history of the award and at age 20, he was the youngest winner since Denis Ryan in 1936.
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 The South Australian also added a Premiership Medallion to his collection after Essendon defeated Carlton in the 1993 premiership decider.
 Both medals were already in addition to the 1993 Michael Tuck Medal Wanganeen was awarded for being 'best on ground' in the Night / Pre-Season Grand Final.
Jesse W. Smith (born 29 September 1986) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AFL).
 He is the son of former North Melbourne player, Ross Smith.
 Formerly playing for North Melbourne, he was drafted to play for St Kilda in 2010, and retired at the end of 2010.
Dally O'Brien (31 October 1918 – 15 August 1996) was an Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne in the VFL during the 1940s.
 O'Brien played 137 games for North Melbourne and was club captain in 1944 and 1945.
 He won their best and fairest award in 1948, also finishing equal 8th in the Brownlow Medal count.
The 2005 Brownlow Medal was the 78th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season.
 Ben Cousins of the West Coast Eagles won the medal by polling twenty votes during the 2005 AFL season.
 It was Cousins' first Brownlow Medal win, and with Daniel Kerr finishing the runner up, it was the first time in 86 years that the top two votesgetters were from the same club.
The 1995 Brownlow Medal was the 68th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season.
 Paul Kelly of the Sydney Swans won the medal by polling twenty-one votes during the 1995 AFL season.
 For the first time, the State Government legalised betting on the Brownlow Medal, a move which concerned some due to the high potential for corruption.
 The pre-count favourites for the medal were Wayne Carey (3/1), Wayne Campbell (7/2), Peter Matera (10/1), James Hird and Craig Bradley (each 12/1).
 Eventual winner Paul Kelly was considered a 25/1 outside chance.
Graeme Atkins (born 30 October 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne and Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
 Originally recruited from South Melbourne Districts, Atkins played as a rover.
 He made his debut in Round 3 1982 against Fitzroy at the Junction Oval and he had 11 disposals for the match.
 In total, Atkins played 61 games and kicked 39 goals for North Melbourne between 1982 and 1986 before standing down early in 1987 to achieve a clearance to Collingwood.
 After moving to Collingwood, Atkins played 21 games and kicked 14 goals between 1987 and 1989.
 He played 18 games in his first season at Collingwood but a knee injury restricted him to just three games in his final two seasons.
 Atkins polled two Brownlow Medal votes in his final season for North Melbourne in 1986 when he also played an equal high 19 games for the season.
 His final VFL match was in round 16, 1989 against Hawthorn at Princes Park.