Biography
Peter McKenna was born on 27th August 1946 in Heidelberg West, Victoria, and grew up playing junior football with West Heidelberg YCW before being recruited to Collingwood ahead of the 1965 season. Standing 191cm and known for his clean overhead marking and lethal accuracy in front of the big sticks, McKenna quickly established himself as one of the competition’s premier key forwards during a golden era for Collingwood.
After a solid debut season in 1965, McKenna’s output grew steadily through the late 1960s, culminating in a stretch of dominance that few forwards in the game’s history have matched. From 1967 to 1974 he was Collingwood’s leading goalkicker in eight consecutive seasons, a run that included his career defining 1970 campaign, where he booted 143 goals, still the club record to this day. That season he was also awarded the Copeland Trophy as Collingwood’s best and fairest player, a rare feat for a specialist forward and a testament to his all round impact on the field, not just his scoreboard influence.
His consistency in front of goal was arguably his greatest trademark. Between 1968 and 1974, McKenna kicked at least one goal in 121 consecutive games, a VFL/AFL record that remains unbroken. It is a mark of remarkable durability and precision, achieved across an era when defenders were given considerably more license to physically contest key forwards than they are today.
McKenna’s peak arrived in the early 1970s when he claimed back to back Coleman Medals in 1972 and 1973 as the competition’s leading goalkicker, and was named an All-Australian in 1972 in recognition of his standing as one of the best forwards in the country. Playing alongside a talented Collingwood outfit that reached multiple Grand Finals during this period without quite completing the premiership, McKenna became one of the most reliable and feared forwards opposition sides had to plan around.
After eleven seasons at Victoria Park, McKenna’s Collingwood career came to an end following the 1975 season. He crossed to Carlton for the 1977 season, adding a further 11 games and 36 goals to his career tally before retiring, finishing with 874 goals from 191 games, an extraordinary strike rate of 4.58 goals per game across his career.
McKenna’s legacy at Collingwood remains significant. His 143 goal season in 1970 still stands as the club’s single season record, and his consecutive goalkicking streak is a mark that speaks to just how reliable he was in front of goal for the better part of a decade. In recognition of his standing as one of the finest goalkickers the game has produced, Peter McKenna was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1999, cementing his place among the legends of Victorian football.
