DUAL North Melbourne premiership player Corey McKernan looked right at home wearing the Kangaroo colours in his debut for North Gippsland club Heyfield.

McKernan booted five goals and created headaches for the opposition backline in the Roos' 71-point thumping of Woodside in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash.

The 35-year-old is ruck coach at North Melbourne but squeezed in a game for Heyfield at the request of coach Stuart Anderson, his teammate in North Melbourne's 1996 flag win.

Anderson, also 35, is still a star in local footy circles and has been named in Heyfield's best players in seven of 11 outings this year.

Another AFL premiership player, Mark Stevens, is part of Heyfield's line up but sat out Saturday's match.

Second-placed Woodside also boasted its fair share of big names, with former Geelong small forward Ronnie Burns and ex-Coburg captain Travis Ronaldson donning the Wildcats jumper.

Saturday's game was the league's most anticipated match of the season, but failed to live up to expectations.

Heyfield held a 33-point buffer at half-time, but that blew out to 64 points by the final change.