Happy Birthday to........Ian Schubert.
The Western Suburbs Magpie family wish Ian a very happy birthday.
Ian (August 22) was a strongly built winger when he made his first grade debut in 1975 but later became a ball playing second rower in his latter years and had two playing stints with the Magpies.
He was a member of the 1972 Australian Schoolboys team that toured England, the first such tour and team mates included future Wests players Les Boyd & Jack Jeffries plus future first graders, State of Origin
and internationals such as Royce Ayliffe, Craig Young, Brian Hetherington & Robert Finch and of course they were coached by future Wests coach, Roy Masters.
However it wasn't until 1975 when he was 19 that Ian came to Sydney (from Wauchope) and signed with the Eastern Suburbs Roosters where with his long, shoulder length blonde hair, proved a sensation in his
debut season not only winning a premiership with the Roosters (playing at fullback after Russell Fairfax had broken his leg) but gaining selection in the Australian World Series squad that played in England, Wales
and France where he scored three tries in Australia's 18-6 win over Wales & another three tries in Australia's 16-13 loss to England.
In 1976 he was the Rooster's leading try scorer with nine and in 1978 was selected in the Australian Kangaroo squad that toured England & France but failed to gain selection in the test team.
He first joined Western Suburbs in 1981 and made his first grade premiership debut for Wests on the wing in their round 1 loss to Manly at Lidcombe Oval and captained the reserve grade side to a grand final
victory over Parramatta 19-12. He had graduated to the forwards when he rejoined the Roosters in 1982 where he had an outstanding season culminating in a second Kangaroo tour that year but again failed to
break into the test team.
Ian joined an exodus of Roosters players over to the Manly silvertails in 1983 (others included Kerry Boustead, Dave Brown and coach, Bob Fulton) and played second row in the Sea Eagles grand final loss to
Parramatta that year.
He joined Wests for his second stint in 1985 but only managed a handful of first grade appearances that year. However with the promotion of Steve Ghosn from reserve grade to first grade coach in 1986, Ian
not only went straight into first grade but was also handed the captaincy and added a new string to his bow, that of goal kicker. He played in all 24 premiership matches for Wests in 1986 and was the team's
leading pointscorer with 116 (three tries & fifty two goals).
In 1987, the club said goodbye to Lidcombe Oval and moved base to Campbelltown where they played out of Orana Park. Again Ian was captain and missed just one premiership that season and again was
the team's leading pointscorer this time with 94 ( one try & forty five goals). In 1988 he managed 16 first grade matches but was still the team's leading pointscorer with 57 (one try, twenty six goals & one field
goal) and retired after the 1989 season after playing only a handful of first grade matches but was the captain/coach of the club's reserve grade side that year.
In all, Ian played 95 first grade premiership matches during his time at Wests (1981, 1985-89) scoring 13 tries and kicking 123 goals plus 1 field goal. He had an off season stint in England playing for Leigh in 1986/87.
After he retired from playing, he coached reserve grade at Canterbury before moving into marketing/administration with the Roosters. During the Super League war, he was appointed International Operations
Manager for Super League and then was appointed by the NRL as salary cap auditor, a position he still holds to this day.
Ian was selected in the second row and vice captain of the Western Suburbs Team of the Eighties.
