Toast Memory Lane: Peter McKenna

[Magpie Girl]

Peter McKenna never seems to get much of a mention here, and yet surely he was our most prolific goal kicker and one of our best full forwards ever?

143 goals in 1973, which is still the club's best ever effort by any player.
When was the last time anyone got close to that?

A career total of 873 goals.

And the rivalry between he and Peter Hudson to be the first to get to 100 goals in a season.
Again, it's been a long time since any two players were vying for that honour.



I'm sure lots of posters have wonderful memories of being at Vic Park watching him kick bags of goals, and I'd be interested to hear the stories.

So, just thought I'd kick this off (if you'll pardon the pun)

 

[Robroy22]

Peter Perfect was the best drop punt kick I've ever seen MG. He was quick on the lead and absolutely deadly on the set shot. I once saw him kick 16 goals four behinds in a game (100 points on his own) and he often scored bags of 8 or more. It was the way the game was played back then. A ruck man (Jenkin or Thompson) would palm the ball to one of the Richardson's or Barry Price and they would hit McKenna on the chest with their passes. Once he had the ball in hand it was just a matter of putting another mark in the goal section of your footy record!
I think the main reason we overlook Perfect Pete is that he was limited as a player. He wasn't a terribly physical player and he didn't take the spectacular marks that Jezza took or that Doug Wade could take. He couldn't bamboozle a full back with his brilliance like Peter Hudson could he was more like a machine. He would take his chest marks from beautiful passes and go back and kick goals....simple. Nowadays a fullback would just spoil his chest marks or the pressure on the ball carriers would be so much greater that the style of play wouldn't hold up any more. But one thing I can attest, if you gave Pete half the chances that Travis Cloke gets to kick goals, he would kick a hundred every year.

 

[76woodenspooners]

He was before my time, but I do have fond memories of him at this momentous occassion ...

(apologies for the poor quality image, it was the only one I could find)

 

[Markfs]

Peter Perfect was the best drop punt kick I've ever seen MG. He was quick on the lead and absolutely deadly on the set shot. I once saw him kick 16 goals four behinds in a game (100 points on his own) and he often scored bags of 8 or more. It was the way the game was played back then. A ruck man (Jenkin or Thompson) would palm the ball to one of the Richardson's or Barry Price and they would hit McKenna on the chest with their passes. Once he had the ball in hand it was just a matter of putting another mark in the goal section of your footy record!
I think the main reason we overlook Perfect Pete is that he was limited as a player. He wasn't a terribly physical player and he didn't take the spectacular marks that Jezza took or that Doug Wade could take. He couldn't bamboozle a full back with his brilliance like Peter Hudson could he was more like a machine. He would take his chest marks from beautiful passes and go back and kick goals....simple. Nowadays a fullback would just spoil his chest marks or the pressure on the ball carriers would be so much greater that the style of play wouldn't hold up any more. But one thing I can attest, if you gave Pete half the chances that Travis Cloke gets to kick goals, he would kick a hundred every year.

Exactly. I wasnt a big fan of Pete. I was happy when Tommy Hafey came and got the midfielders kicking at goal, instead of trying to hit Pete on the chest. Having said that, he was an amazing kick. I remember he used to lead out from goal to the half forward flank in front of the members....and he was on the boundary line on the wrong side for a right footer ...and he would nail it 2 out of 3 times. The problem was that Barry Price was streaming out of the centre and kicking it to him on the boundary line. Ridiculously inefficient play. It worked ok against the lower teams or at Vic Park, but in the finals, the system frequently broke down. It wasnt Pete's fault.

 

[Robroy22]

Markfs said:
"It worked ok against the lower teams or at Vic Park, but in the finals, the system frequently broke down. It wasn't Pete's fault.[/quote]"

In all honesty it worked ok in 1970 until Tuddy knocked him senseless before half time. He kicked 6 in the second semi and had 5 to half time in the granny. But I take your point, it was an excessive style of play.

 

[Gone Critical]

Exactly. I wasnt a big fan of Pete. I was happy when Tommy Hafey came and got the midfielders kicking at goal, instead of trying to hit Pete on the chest. Having said that, he was an amazing kick. I remember he used to lead out from goal to the half forward flank in front of the members....and he was on the boundary line on the wrong side for a right footer ...and he would nail it 2 out of 3 times. The problem was that Barry Price was streaming out of the centre and kicking it to him on the boundary line. Ridiculously inefficient play. It worked ok against the lower teams or at Vic Park, but in the finals, the system frequently broke down. It wasnt Pete's fault.

I was a big fan of McKenna and think your assessment in harsh and not particularly accurate. First point is McKenna and Hafey never crossed paths at Collingwood. Pete finished in 75 and Tommy arrived in 77. Hafey's forward to work out was Carmen.

McKenna was undoubtedly our main avenue to goal but the 70's was an era of attack and score. Through McKenna's great years we also had a lot of other goal kickers who included midfielders. I quickly scan through a few names , Wayne (37) and Max (26) Richardson, Len Thompson (29), Twiggy Dunne (35), John Greening (34), Bob Heard (32) and Rod Oborne (39). The figures in brackets are the best goal totals each of these players kicked in a season through Mckennas dominant years. Almost all there players were making significant contributions to goals most seasons through McKennas time.

McKenna played some great finals footy. In 1970 he was dominant in the finals. Forget Barrassi's handball mandate or Ted Hopkins. The reason we lost the 70 GF was McKenna was concussed by Tuddys friendly fire late in the 2nd Q when he already had 5 goals on the board and was dominant. Again checking some stats McKenna averaged a very healthy 4.1 goals/ game in finals footy. On the MCG he averaged about 4.6 goals / game over his career and at Vic Park 5.1. Not huges differences and the Vic Park figure being higher almost certainly relates to the weaker opposition encountered there overall compared to the MCG and Collingwoods very real home ground advantage of the time. Your characterisation of McKenna as vulnerable in finals footy just doesn't stand up to scruitiny.

McKenna was a huge talent in his time. Sides did everything they could to stop him and he played on a lot of high calibre full backs. Southby probably was the only one who could usually stop him. His ability to read the game and present in space is an underrated ability. While not a great high mark he had very sure hands on the lead.

A true Collingwood Champion

 

[slapdaddy]

Macca was bigger than the Elvis in his day, I have no way of conveying the excitement that surrounded him.. girls literally squealed like they did for the Beatles when they first hit Australia.. every time he went near the ball you didn't hear the roar or cheers you hear today, you have to think those Beatles concerts where you couldn't hear them singing over the teen girls shrieking for them.. he was the first footballer to grow his hair long and for that time it just made him a god, he even released a pop song called Remember and Smile all the while was the flip side.. I've never had a hero like him since.. when he went to Carlton it was like death and cost us the 77 premiership

 

[PieNSauce]

he even released a pop song called Remember and Smile all the while was the flip side.

Oh please, please, please don't remind anybody of that god awful thing!

It's true that Macca never really got the recognition for his footy that you would normally associate with a 100+ goal a year player and I can't honestly say that I fully understand why. There was always a perception around him that he could not take a mark over his head and there was some truth to that. McKenna was not a contested marking full forward like a Cloke but owes a lot of his shots at goal to one man. That man was Barry Price who will always be remembered as one of the more deadly accurate passes in the league. If Price got the ball, you could nearly put money on the next thing being a McKenna mark on his chest lace out.

That said, McKenna was a freak when it came to goal kicking and there is no player that I have ever seen from any side who was or is better or more accurate than him including Hudson and Daicos. If he had the ball within 55 metres from goal on pretty much any angle you could pencil in the goal before he kicked and 99 times out of 100 you'd have no reason to use an eraser. As a teenager I was in awe of him back then but as has been said, not half as much as the girls who used to go wild for him. You seriously would have thought the guy was a rock god the way they used squeal and scream. In my mind he will always be an absolute legend of the club and of the game.

 

[Vicky Park]

Er, um, I was one of the girls who used to squeal and scream, and my bedroom was a shrine to Peter McKenna.

But moving on...Macca releasing a pop song/single, surely that belongs on the Collingwood most embarrassing moments thread?

 

[76woodenspooners]

Oh please, please, please don't remind anybody of that god awful thing!

Too late

 

[Magpie Girl]

I also read he was a teacher at Fairfield Primary School.

Imagine being in his class!
And having your hero teach you

 

[jonbe54]

Exactly. I wasnt a big fan of Pete. I was happy when Tommy Hafey came and got the midfielders kicking at goal, instead of trying to hit Pete on the chest. Having said that, he was an amazing kick. I remember he used to lead out from goal to the half forward flank in front of the members....and he was on the boundary line on the wrong side for a right footer ...and he would nail it 2 out of 3 times. The problem was that Barry Price was streaming out of the centre and kicking it to him on the boundary line. Ridiculously inefficient play. It worked ok against the lower teams or at Vic Park, but in the finals, the system frequently broke down. It wasnt Pete's fault.

Its all very well to take potshots from the vantage point of history but for his day he was the go to man.

Fast lead and a deadly kick from set shots (usually from the boundary), his partnership with stab pass Pricey was one of the more enthralling sights at a footy ground. As soon as Pricey got the pill all eyes swivelled to the forward line (a real slight on Pricey who was almost worth the cost of admission for his ability to hit top pace in a few strides, steady and sizzle a excocet onto Maccas chest). As soon as Pricey grabbed the pill Macca would start his leads, fullbacks simply didn't have his pace and often were left floundering 5 meters behind as he led straight into that excocet pass. Once he had it in his hand you could put down the glasses bet set shot FF we have ever had.

I don't know how you get inefficient play Mark, you have to place a player and style within their correct historical setting and apply those standards otherwise its pointless looking back. There was no thought of zone play or loose men in defense it was almost man on man all day long.

That is the standard he needs to be judged on, not second guessed by todays standards.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

I had Number 6 on my Collingwood Jumper as a kid, like nearly every kid did in those times.

He was probably the first real super-star footballer who crossed over to main stream media stardom while still playing.
I recall one day we got flogged by Essendon, we managed just 7 goals for the entire day, McKenna kicked 6 of them.
Had he not suffered a concussion in the 1970 Grand Final we would have won that one too.

Unbelievable quick lead and deadly accurate, it was he that changed goal kicking by using the drop punt while most full forwards were still using the flat punt, the torp or the drop kick.
In those days full forwards kicked the goals, that was their job, so any attempt to re-write the history of the day is revisionist clap trap.

 

[Jelly Bean]

Its all very well to take potshots from the vantage point of history but for his day he was the go to man.

Fast lead and a deadly kick from set shots (usually from the boundary), his partnership with stab pass Pricey was one of the more enthralling sights at a footy ground. As soon as Pricey got the pill all eyes swivelled to the forward line (a real slight on Pricey who was almost worth the cost of admission for his ability to hit top pace in a few strides, steady and sizzle a excocet onto Maccas chest). As soon as Pricey grabbed the pill Macca would start his leads, fullbacks simply didn't have his pace and often were left floundering 5 meters behind as he led straight into that excocet pass. Once he had it in his hand you could put down the glasses bet set shot FF we have ever had.

I don't know how you get inefficient play Mark, you have to place a player and style within their correct historical setting and apply those standards otherwise its pointless looking back. There was no thought of zone play or loose men in defense it was almost man on man all day long.

That is the standard he needs to be judged on, not second guessed by todays standards.

As much as a lot of people talk about it, not one of the highlights (from the OP) had vision of Price taking the ball on the run and hitting McKenna on the lead.

 

[jonbe54]

As much as a lot of people talk about it, not one of the highlights (from the OP) had vision of Price taking the ball on the run and hitting McKenna on the lead.

Well jb these threads are sort of organic and the thread leads where it will.

 

[Jelly Bean]

Well jb these threads are sort of organic and the thread leads where it will.

It was more a comment on the highlights package than any suggestion that the comments weren't accurate.

 

[jonbe54]

It was more a comment on the highlights package than any suggestion that the comments weren't accurate.

Understood JB the way threads develop on BF is funny and entertaining to me, often ending up far wide of the original mark

 

[Magpie Girl]

As much as a lot of people talk about it, not one of the highlights (from the OP) had vision of Price taking the ball on the run and hitting McKenna on the lead.

from the 1 minute mark

happy to broaden the thread

 

[Magpie Girl]

Here's another one Jelly Bean

there's quite a few examples in the first couple of mins


sorry there's a little bit of doubling up in these but they're still good to watch

 

[TradeDraft]

Would love to see him Play but we before my time

 

[Hardas]

McKenna was a huge talent in his time. Sides did everything they could to stop him and he played on a lot of high calibre full backs. Southby probably was the only one who could usually stop him. His ability to read the game and present in space is an underrated ability. While not a great high mark he had very sure hands on the lead.
A true Collingwood Champion

And one of life's great gentlemen off the field too.

 

[Quicky]

Love the song choice in that YouTube clip from the OP!

 

[Gone Critical]

And one of life's great gentlemen off the field too.

yeah I have to agree. Was lucky to get to know McKenna a bit as he came to Marcellin where I went to school after he retired. A ncer bloke you couldn't meet. I was in the grades above where he taught but my younger brothers and mum got on with him really well. The youngest brother, who was 10 + years younger than me, came home to mum just after McKennna started teaching. Said something to the effect the new teacher was good and also " geez he can really kick a football". We all laughed. He was born in 71 so didnt see the great man play.

 

[Markfs]

I was a big fan of McKenna and think your assessment in harsh and not particularly accurate. First point is McKenna and Hafey never crossed paths at Collingwood. Pete finished in 75 and Tommy arrived in 77. Hafey's forward to work out was Carmen.

McKenna was undoubtedly our main avenue to goal but the 70's was an era of attack and score. Through McKenna's great years we also had a lot of other goal kickers who included midfielders. I quickly scan through a few names , Wayne (37) and Max (26) Richardson, Len Thompson (29), Twiggy Dunne (35), John Greening (34), Bob Heard (32) and Rod Oborne (39). The figures in brackets are the best goal totals each of these players kicked in a season through Mckennas dominant years. Almost all there players were making significant contributions to goals most seasons through McKennas time.

McKenna played some great finals footy. In 1970 he was dominant in the finals. Forget Barrassi's handball mandate or Ted Hopkins. The reason we lost the 70 GF was McKenna was concussed by Tuddys friendly fire late in the 2nd Q when he already had 5 goals on the board and was dominant. Again checking some stats McKenna averaged a very healthy 4.1 goals/ game in finals footy. On the MCG he averaged about 4.6 goals / game over his career and at Vic Park 5.1. Not huges differences and the Vic Park figure being higher almost certainly relates to the weaker opposition encountered there overall compared to the MCG and Collingwoods very real home ground advantage of the time. Your characterisation of McKenna as vulnerable in finals footy just doesn't stand up to scruitiny.

McKenna was a huge talent in his time. Sides did everything they could to stop him and he played on a lot of high calibre full backs. Southby probably was the only one who could usually stop him. His ability to read the game and present in space is an underrated ability. While not a great high mark he had very sure hands on the lead.

A true Collingwood Champion

I acknowledge that how I wrote it that it looked like Hafey got rid of McKenna. I was talking more about the style of play. The Bob Rose approach had the midfielders looking too much for the full-forward. I'm not blaming Bob. It was the style of play at the time. Hafey never took that approach, even in his premiership years at Richmond. I didnt say that McKenna choked in finals. I said that it was harder to deliver it to him in finals and when the opposition was of a better standard - like when Southby played on him. The problem with putting your eggs in one basket was demonstrated in him being concussed in the gf. Hudson was knocked out by Cowboy Neale the next year.... which almost won St. Kilda the grand final.

I stick with my opinion but your figures demonstrate that he kicked a lot of goals...

 

[Markfs]

Its all very well to take potshots from the vantage point of history but for his day he was the go to man.

Fast lead and a deadly kick from set shots (usually from the boundary), his partnership with stab pass Pricey was one of the more enthralling sights at a footy ground. As soon as Pricey got the pill all eyes swivelled to the forward line (a real slight on Pricey who was almost worth the cost of admission for his ability to hit top pace in a few strides, steady and sizzle a excocet onto Maccas chest). As soon as Pricey grabbed the pill Macca would start his leads, fullbacks simply didn't have his pace and often were left floundering 5 meters behind as he led straight into that excocet pass. Once he had it in his hand you could put down the glasses bet set shot FF we have ever had.

I don't know how you get inefficient play Mark, you have to place a player and style within their correct historical setting and apply those standatherwise its pointless looking back. There was no thought of zone play or loose men in defense it was almost man on man all day long.

That is the standard he needs to be judged on, not second guessed by todays standards.

I agree. I didnt mean to be disrespectful to McKenna. I honestly didnt like the way we focused on getting the ball to him. He was a champion player for his time.