 McCracken played club football in Australia, captaining both the Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers during his career which ended with a spear tackle which he successfully sued for.During his time in the game, McCracken was regarded as one of the hardest running and most damaging centres in the world.McCracken played for the Glenora Bears and first went to Australia in 1989 when he was sent to the North Sydney Bears as part of the New Zealand Rugby League Rookie Scheme.