Career Record for Featherstone
Appearances			Tries	Goals	Drop Goals	Points
Total	Start	Sub
419	388	31	110	0	1	365

The record for most appearances by a player has stood since 1934, when Jim Denton retired after 440 games. One player who might have overtaken that record total was Peter Smith, who made 419 appearances but who suffered serious injuries in the middle of his career. During that crucial period, he made only 12 appearances in three seasons which would prove to be significant.  Nevertheless, there was much more to recount in Smith's career.

He was signed at the age of seventeen from the Featherstone juniors, but the Club introduced him gradually to senior football. He made his debut as a substitute v Rochdale (at home) in January 1974, and made his full debut at Bramley on 14 January 1974. The Rovers embarked on their 1974 Wembley trail soon afterwards, and Smith was a substitute in the semi-final v Leigh but he did not make the final. However, by October he was reintroduced and his career had begun in earnest. Indeed, from that time, he was to reign supreme for fifteen years and he came to earn the reputation of being one of the greatest forwards to play for Featherstone.

The Rovers were inching their way to the First Division Championship in the mid-1970s, finishing fourth in 1974/75 and second in 1975/76 and gathering together the pack which would provide the backbone of the bid.  Farrar, Bridges, Thompson, Smith, Stone and Bell were the powerful six who helped the club to its first First Division Championship in 1976/77 and for Smith it was an outstanding season. He made 40 appearances and headed the try-scoring count with 20 – a new record for a forward, beating Willis Fawley's record of 17. At the end of the season, he was selected for the World Cup squad being played in Australasia and he made two substitute appearances against Australia in June. He made 7 appearances on the tour, scoring 2 tries. He was to make three further substitute appearances for Great Britain, but made full appearances for the Under 24s v  Australia in October 1978, for England v France in March 1980 and finally for Great Britain v Australia at Leeds in November 1982. 

It was whilst training with a Great Britain squad in 1983 that Smith was to suffer a crippling injury. He had enjoyed another successful season, culminating in his first Wembley appearance, where his experience was a vital factor in Rovers 14v12 victory over Hull. In a freak accident whilst weight training, he suffered a mystery back injury which badly affected the next three years. As a measure of how he was regarded, Great Britain coach Frank Myler selected him for the game against France at Leeds on 17 February 1984, even though he had only made one substitute appearance for his club the week before. Unfortunately, the gamble backfired and a shoulder injury put him back on the sidelines and out of the 1984 tour.

Four appearances between 1984 and 1986 must have been hard to endure, but the nightmare of injuries finally ended in February 1986, when he returned for the Cup-tie with Widnes and was able to play 10 matches before the end of the season – which brightened his testimonial year. It was back to normal service with 36 appearances in 1986/87 and 10 tries, which took him past Cliff Lambert's all-time record of 82 for tries by a forward. Relegation to the Second Division was disappointing but in another record season, Smith made a massive contribution to the swift return to the First Division, being a model of consistency. His club record of tries in a season had been broken by David Hobbs in 1982, but Smith powered in for 21 tries in 38 appearances to equal the record.

He again injured his shoulder in a pre-season friendly at Halifax in August 1989 and although he recovered to make 10 appearances, he learned after the game at Wigan on 18 November that the injury would require an operation and he decided that at the age of thirty-four and after 17 seasons that this was the time to retire. In a fantastic career, he had shared personal and club glory with his appearances for Great Britain and England ad three appearances for Yorkshire after his debut in 1978. At club level, he had savoured winners' medals in the 1983 RL Cup and the 1977 First Division, and had been runner-up in the Second Division Premiership Trophy in 1988 and the Yorkshire Cup. His record in the Yorkshire Cup is perhaps unique. He played in all three of the Rovers finals in 1976 v Leeds, in 1977 v Castleford and in 1989 v Bradford, and he had scored a try in each -and yet he finished on the losing side. He won the John Jepson Trophy as Player of the Season on a record three occasions and was voted the Second Division Player of the Year in 1988. His try-scoring and appearances speak for themselves. He came close to taking the club's appearances record, but his final try-scoring tally of 110 is still the club record for a forward.  After a fourteen-month lay-off, he was given a free transfer in February 1991 and persuaded to join the newly-formed Scarborough Pirates as captain. He made 13 appearances and scored 2 tries, but the club folded after one season.

Such feats bear testimony to a great player, but what actually made him a great player? He was a true professional, always maintaining a high level of fitness. In attack he was a strong runner, a powerful forager and good with the ball in his hands, but it was his defensive capabilities which were truly amazing. His tackling and cover work were phenomenal. He was dedicated to the Rovers and well respected throughout the RL world as a supreme footballer and sportsman. Only a player with the stature, ability and courage of Peter Smith could have achieved so much.

 

Biography by Ron Bailey