Peter McKenna

McKenna was the second of five children to Winnie and Kevin McKenna.[1] He grew up supporting Essendon and played soccer until he was 13.[1]

Recruited from West Heidelberg YCW, McKenna credited Collingwood coach Bob Rose for patiently helping to shape him into the champion footballer he was to become.[2] In the opening round of the 1966 VFL season against Hawthorn at Victoria Park, McKenna gave a glimpse of what was to come when he kicked 12 goals in a match-winning effort, the first of thirteen occasions when he would kick ten or more goals in a game. However, McKenna's form dropped away; and, after being held goalless against North Melbourne in Round 6, he was dropped for the remainder of the season.

McKenna kicked 47 goals in 1967, leading Collingwood's goalkicking for the first time. He went on to win that award for eight consecutive seasons, including in 1969 and 1971 when he kicked 143 and 134 goals respectively. From the start of the 1968 VFL season to Round 3, 1974, McKenna kicked at least one goal in 121 consecutive games, still a competition record.

Collingwood played in two grand finals during McKenna's career, 1966 and 1970, both of which Collingwood lost. McKenna did not play in the former match. In the latter game he was concussed in a collision with teammate Des Tuddenham before half time which contributed to Collingwood giving up a 44-point half time lead.

In 1972 and 1973 McKenna was the VFL leading goalkicker, kicking 130 in 1972 and 86 in 1973. In 1972 he was also named All-Australian for his performance in the 1972 Perth Carnival for Victoria.

At the end of Round 10, 1975, McKenna led Collingwood's goalkicking list with a modest total of 26 goals, but the following week he had a poor game in which he was held goalless in the Round 11 Queen's Birthday match against Melbourne Football Club. This performance saw him and a number of teammates in Round 12 dropped to the reserves against South Melbourne Football Club at VFL Park in which he suffered a kidney injury – he did not play for Collingwood again after that.

In 1976, McKenna played with the Devonport Magpies in Tasmania's North West Football Union (NWFU). He played a solitary season for Devonport and kicked 79 goals in 17 games.

McKenna returned to the VFL in 1977 to play for Collingwood's bitter rival, Carlton, kicking 36 goals in 11 games. He left Carlton after one season and then spent three years in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), playing one year with each of Geelong West (67 goals) and Port Melbourne (52 goals), where he was captain/coach, and Northcote (98 goals).[3]

Altogether, McKenna's VFL record of 874 goals from 191 games was enough to place him as the league's fourth-highest goalkicker at the time of his retirement, behind only Gordon Coventry, Doug Wade and Jack Titus. As of the end of the 2021 AFL season, he sat tenth on the all-time league leaderboard; additionally, he has scored the most goals of any player to finish their career with fewer than 200 VFL/AFL games. His full senior and representative career yielded 1,213 goals.

[4]

During his football career, he recorded his first pop single Things to Remember, written by Melbourne singer/songwriter Colin Buckley. This was followed by another single Smile, written by Johnny Young.

In 1969, he was a teacher at Fairfield State Primary.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s he taught at Marcellin College Junior Boys School in Camberwell.

McKenna appeared regularly on television at this time, being Daryl Somers' co-host of Hey Hey It's Saturday for the show's first eight weeks in late 1971, and continuing to appear after Ossie Ostrich had replaced him as co-host. There were also appearances on shows such as Young Talent Time and Happening '72.

In 1973, he published a book describing his life and career to date, and his thoughts on the VFL and Australian football in general. The book was co-written with Phillip Burfurd and published in the Jack Pollard Sportsmaster range of titles. My World Of Football was subtitled "The candid, provocative innermost thoughts and technical secrets of an Australian football hero".

After his football career had ended, McKenna commentated football with the Seven Network until Seven lost the rights to broadcast AFL matches after the 2001 AFL season. He then worked in radio and as a part-time goalkicking coach at Collingwood until May 2004 when it was announced that McKenna would begin working as a ministerial transport officer (chauffeur) for the Parliament of Victoria.[5][6]

In September 2007, in an attempt to boost public awareness and support for epilepsy sufferers and their families, McKenna opened up about the three deaths in his family that had impacted him deeply over the years; those of his older sister Marie, who died after suffering an epileptic seizure just days out from McKenna's 21st birthday, and father Kevin and brother Gerard from diabetes-related illnesses.[1]

McKenna is married with two daughters and two grandsons.

• Atkinson, G. (1982) Everything you ever wanted to know about Australian rules football but couldn't be bothered asking, The Five Mile Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0 86788 009 0.
• My World Of Football, Peter McKenna with Phillip Burfurd, 1973.

• Peter McKenna's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Peter McKenna at AustralianFootball.com
• Peter McKenna highlights on YouTube