Toast Memory Lane: Peter McKenna

mike123

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Way better than Chris Brown's Loyal
 
Here's the song from Peter McKenna that was his most popular song, and in my view his best song, 'Smile All The While'.

He may not have been the best singer in the business, but in my view, this one song would top anything from Justin Bieber by a huge margin.

For someone who doesn't barrack for Collingwood and was born way after this was recorded, I actually like this song, in fact I've sung to this alone a few times, a bit embarrassing to admit haha!


haha thanks swans for taking the time to dig through all the threads and post that.:)
 

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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.

But it was a thing of beauty.
 

Trickster

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I wasn't born when he played with the pies but as an avid supporter from about aged 3 I remember stumbling upon his book 'My world of football' at primary school. I reckon I borrowed this so many times I wore it out. About 25 years later, I was in a second hand book shop in Daylesford and picked it up (in spanking condition mind you along with Len Thompson's book also which is a great read). Was rapt.

Also a few years ago a guy released some tshirts with VFL players printed from the 70s. McKenna was one with an image of his famous kicking style as well as the caption alluding to his short lived stay on hey hey it's Saturday and being replaced by Ossie Ostrich (it was on Saturday mornings in those days and club said it's footy or TV, so footy it was). Here's a link to the tshirts which look pretty cool I must say.

http://www.redbubble.com/people/4boat/works/10521908-peter-mckenna-collingwood-dark-shirts?p=t-shirt
 

Mukesh

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I have a rather sad story about the legend. I loved him and still do and whenever I played my imaginary games in the backyard with my plastic footy I had the McKenna kicking action down pat. A few years after Macca retired Don Scott was writing for the now defunct Herald. One day I came across an article he had written where he labelled the current day players (of the 80's) soft and said that none of them knew how to win their own ball.

I wrote a letter to Scott care of the Herald. In the letter I happened to mention McKenna. I said he was a hero of mine but even I was aware that he was never a physical player and had in fact shirked the hard ball at times. I brought this up because Scott believed the players of the seventies were all rugged and brave. Anyway I never expected him to respond and didn't think much more about it after I posted my letter. I received a phone call about a week later from Don Scott himself. With my heart hammering I told him I was the author of the letter. He said he was ringing in order to get my permission to publish my letter in his next article with the idea that he would write a response to the points I raised. I excitedly gave him permission. The next week the article appeared-it even had a promo on the back of the paper promoting the debate!

As I read my letter and saw my reference to McKenna I felt upset. It was never meant to be read by anyone but Scott. Well, I put the article in a folder and life rolled on. About a month later I was swimming laps at the Kilsyth indoor pool when who do I see? Don Scott was in the lane next to me! I had never seen him at the pool before and couldn't resist swimming over to him. I told him I was the bloke who wrote the letter he had recently published. His reaction stunned me. He shook his head and said"That letter! You will never know the trouble it has caused me!" I asked him what he meant. At this time Scott used to co-commentate the Army Reserve games on Sunday afternoons with none other than Peter McKenna. He told me that McKenna had read the article and he was very upset with my comments and the fact that Scott had not refuted them. He said he walked out of the commentary box before the game started and said he would not commentate with Scott. Scott said he spent a number of minutes pleading with him to return to the box and basically told him that I had no idea what I was talking about (conveniently forgetting that he had agreed!). He said McKenna continued to talk about suing the paper. I felt sick. I had upset my hero. I asked Scott if I should write him a letter explaining what I meant and why I wrote it. I can still see Scott's eyes rolling and his head shaking-"NO! Just let it rest!" were his final words to me.

I am a teacher. A few years later I had a girl in my class who was the niece of McKenna. She said one night her mum was on the phone to Uncle Peter and in passing she mention my surname. He asked her if my first name was Mark and she answered in the affirmative. Apparently he mentioned the letter and was not happy!

Any way, I still love the man and memories of his glory days are still the highlight of all my years of following my beloved Pies.
----
'He said he was ringing in order to get my permission to publish my letter in his next article with the idea that he would write a response to the points I raised. I excitedly gave him permission. '
'As I read my letter and saw my reference to McKenna I felt upset. It was never meant to be read by anyone but Scott. '

...... hhhhmmmmmm
 

Markfs

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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.


This is a very good assessment of McKenna as a player. I think Bob Rose put all his eggs in one basket with the game plan of getting it to McKenna, and it tended to break down under the pressure of finals. But that wasn't Pete's fault.

I still remember standing behind the goals at the Yarra Falls end and watching Max Richardson come out of the centre and look for McKenna who was leading to the boundary line towards the outer. I remember thinking that I wish Max would just have a shot at goal instead of trying to hit Pete's chest on one of his fast leads. If I remember correctly, Max tried the pass and misjudged it....and the ball was cleared away.
 
every kid had his number on his back.... he was on kid's programs on tv..... he put singles out ....

In short he was a marketing dream, one of the early examples of a footballer who was promoted as a 'celebrity'.
 

johncitizen

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Peter was also a West Brunswick boy which made it extra special for all the locals here.

At Primary School I wore my jumper daily and had the same hairdo as him which was considered girlish at the time. From Preps right through to Grade 6. I was like Mini Me :D
 

BoydOHboyd

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Peter McKenna was my mum's teacher at Fairfield! She was a Fitzroy supporter and they had a bit of banter back and forth during class, my grandfather is diehard Fitzroy. Diehard! Parent Teacher nights supposedly took a long time while he was her teacher, my grandfather would spend an hour in there talking footy. She always speaks so fondly of him as a teacher and as a person and clearly he was a handy player, too. She ran into him a few years ago and remembered exactly who she was, 40 years later. Great bloke by all accounts.
 

Vampire013

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My wife ran into him a few months ago at her hairdresser.
She had no idea who he was lol
She calls me and ask do I know him.
I said: Really stupid question as he is probably the reason I barrack for Collingwood.
He brought his partner in to have her hair fixed.
My wife complemented him on how good he still looks and he went to shop and bought everyone drinks.
I stood next to him after the 2010 Grand Final at AAMI Park across the road where the club arranged celebrations.
He is great bloke. Very modest considering how big a star he was !
 
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raymond35

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20180901_162959.jpg
 

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Fantastic player.

121 games in a row with at least 1 goal kicked. AFL record.

Elite.

Also a gentleman.

One of our greatest ever full forwards.

In the pantheon of Collingwood greats of full forward he’s our bronze medalist of all time.

Gold: Gordon Coventry
Silver: Dick Lee
Bronze: Peter McKenna

We have had some incredible talent as our full forwards and if you add

Ron Todd

We have four elite super star full forwards in our history.

And Peter McJenna sits very comfortably in such elite company.
 

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If it wasnt for Peter McKenna having a kick with my old man back in the 70's, i'd probably be a Saints supporter. Sparing me a lifetime of disappointment makes him a top bloke in my eyes
Sliding doors.

Wow you missed a horrid existence; phew.
 
Was my favourite player as young fella, an great kick for goal at any angle, fast and quick on the lead, but not great overhead mark.
But you knew if he got the footy, we would win
 

35Daicos

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Amazing he kicked 100 goals before Hudson did the same the next week and it was July of that season.
1970?
In 1971 McKenna brought up the 100 against Fitzroy in Rd. 15 on 10 July: https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/P/Peter_McKenna.html
Hudson got to the 100 in Rd. 17 on 24 July: https://www.afltables.com/afl/stats/players/P/Peter_Hudson.html

McKenna didn't play the next week (Rd. 16), for whatever reason.

1970 was the only other season where they both hit the 100 goal mark. McKenna reached that milestone in Rd. 19 (8 August), but Hudson got there in Rd. 16.
 

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And both of them would laugh at the goal kicking skills of today's players!
Goalkicking to me is like putting in golf.
Should be improved but....
 
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