McTernan’s son Damien told mourners at his father’s funeral at St Joseph’s East Maitland on Monday that his father only had three gears  – stop, walk  or flat out.

McTernan, who died after a battle with cancer aged 67, was renowned for his lightning speed and scored three tries in 1971 premiership and was part of the 1969 Pickers’ premiership team.

“As a young boy all I wanted was to be was like him. Back then it didn’t mean much more than wearing a No.2 footy jumper and running like the wind,” Damien said.

“I still look up to my Dad and always will, but these days I want to be guided by the values that underpinned his life.

“Dad was all about setting goals, committing to doing his best and getting the job done.

“His stories over the years taught me one of Dad’s values – “Be the best you can be”.

“He always said he would prefer to finish last in first grade than best in second grade.”

McTernan also had a great deal of success as a professional sprinter and Damien followed his father into athletics.

“As a primary school boy at St Joseph’s East Maitland, a high school student, as a winger on the flank for those sparkling Maitland Pumpkin Pickers backlines or on the sprint track with Bob Gulliver and his stablemates, Dad loved to run fast,” he said.

“As a boy I would love going to training sessions on Saturday morning with Dad at the Maitland Sportsground. He and I loved it when the Maitland Pumpkin Pickers were setting up for a home game. 

“They would invariably give the club’s song a trial run on the PA system ‘We Will Not Be Done’. 

‘Whenever it began I could see Dad find a few extra metres of pace. I could see the memories flooding back for him.

I never saw Dad play footy, but I was given a DVD of Maitland’s 1971 grand final win recently and I was mesmerised by it.

“He had a good day that afternoon. He was lucky enough to score three tries and I’m sure he would be lying there in his coffin telling me not to forget about the one that was disallowed.

“He only played for five seasons, but they were important for him. He felt privileged to play a part in such a great team in a great competition.

“It ultimately drove him to be on the committee with which he was involved for a number of years.”

Damien said his father’s faith was another important cornerstone of his life and about 10 years ago he moved from the corporate world to working with the Catholic Church’s Missionaries of the Sacred Heart with appointments in central Australia, Papua New Guinea and beyond.

He said his father’s greatest show of courage came at the end of his life.

“The way he fought back from debilitating mental illness in recent years only to be confronted with stage four cancer diagnosis last year was easily the most courageous thing I have seen him do,” he said.

McTernan is survived by his children Damien and Belinda and their families including his six grandchildren.