Cowboys’ Antonio Winterstein remembers his brother and pays tribute to the Townsville community

ANTONIO Winsterstein’s eyes well with tears as he remembers his “cheeky, tough and loving,” brother Francis, who took his own life a little over two weeks ago.

Cowboy's Antonio Winterstein returning to the Townsville Airport from their loss in Canberra over the weekend.

ANTONIO Winsterstein’s eyes well with tears as he remembers his “cheeky, tough and loving,” younger brother Francis “Fotu” Winterstein who took his own life a little over two weeks ago.

“It’s heartbreaking, if only my heart could explain how I feel, but words can’t describe these feelings. I don’t think I’ll ever heal, but that’s life, it’s cruel and it’s what my family and myself do from here on that will determine my brother’s legacy.”

Francis Winterstein was a former Brisbane Broncos scholarship holder and last year played for Centrals in the Townsville and Districts Rugby League competition.

“He was my brother, there is no other pedestal you can put above your brother; there’s friends and other family, but he was my brother,” Antonion Winterstein said of Francis.

“I always wanted the best for him, he was like my shadow and in my life, everything I did was to try and set a good example for my younger brothers.

“I feel him around me still, he’s with me and that gives me peace of mind.”

The Cowboys winger looks over at his children playing in the park and smiles as he remembers how important family was to his younger brother.

“He was always there for my family no matter what, through the good times and bad and we are very lucky to have had him in our lives for as long as we did,” he said.

“He was a tough, cheeky guy, but he really had a gentle side to him that hardly anyone got to see, because he always played the tough guy.

“When it came to his nieces he was always singing or dancing and making them happy.”

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Antonio Winterstein working with his brother Francis.

Antonio fondly remembers his brother just showing up at his home unannounced and is still expecting him to just be there one day like he used to.

“I’m still waiting to wake up from this dream, I don’t think I’ll ever accept the fact that he is actually gone, I’m still waiting for a call or a text from him.

“I have a piece of my heart that is for him and I know he is OK and he is in God’s hands now, looking down on all of us.”

Winterstein is still trying to come to grips with the tragic loss of his younger brother, but said he knew in his heart the 20-year-old wasn’t depressed.

“I know in my heart that he wasn’t suffering from depression, he loved his family and his life, he had goals; it was just an accident, that I will never be able to explain,” he said.

“He’d accepted he couldn’t play footy again and he had moved on, he was all right with that.”

The tragic loss to the Winterstein family and the rugby league community comes months after the loss of two other young men, who seemingly had the world at their feet.

Cowboys under-20s forward and Mackay product Regan Grieve died suddenly in late January, the same weekend as former Melbourne Storm junior Hayden Butler.

Butler had just signed to played for the Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup, while former Kirwan State High School student Grieve had been preparing for the Cowboys’ 2015 National Youth Competition season.

Antonio said the rugby league community was doing all they could to help young players get through tough times, not only nurturing their talent.

“They’re doing everything they can, but at the end of the day it comes down to the individual, we can’t see what’s really in their mind and heart, everyone is different and has their own way of communicating,” he said.

“Us Pacific Islanders don’t really express our feelings, we seem to keep everything inside, which could be a bad thing, but that’s our nature. People say we are sleeping giants, but there is a big soft side to a lot of these kids.

“What they need to understand is that footy is not everything, it’s only a small piece of your life and it’s not around forever and the important things in life come after footy.”

Antonio Winterstein has thanked the Townsville community for its support.

And Winterstein visibly brightens at the prospect of getting back on the field and playing the Melbourne Storm on Monday night.

“It is good to get a good sweat out and be around the boys again, I’m ready to blow some cobwebs out and get stuck into it,” he said.

“It’s what Fotu wanted, he wanted me to be on the field, and he would come to every home game we played.

“He was a tough player. He had a few injuries that forced him out of the game, but he didn’t give up, he still wanted to play and I will play for him for the rest of my career.”

The Cowboys have been there for the family right through the sudden loss of Francis, with Winterstein saying it really showed the club was more than just a team.

“What they’ve done is amazing and it shows it’s not just a business, there is a side to the club that shows we are just one big family,” he said.

“They’ve given me the time to be with my family, they didn’t rush me back, they wanted me to take my time and get myself ready and I’ll be forever grateful for that.

“Kevin Marty, our welfare manager, was there from the start to the end. He was over at the hospital until the end and I owe him a lot, he goes out of his way to do the right thing and he doesn’t expect anything in return, he does it from his heart and I’m just blessed to have him help my family out.”

And the support the Winterstein family has received from the Townsville community in their time of grieving has been “overwhelming”.

“I want to thank the Northreach Baptist Church for letting us use the church and the hall, it was a blessing to have them help us out, there was no way we were fitting 70 people at my mum’s house and it took some stress off of our shoulders,” he said,

“Campbell’s Coaches supplied us with a 57-seater bus for us to use and I’ll be forever grateful for that.

“And to the Townsville community for their never ending support, they just didn’t stop giving, they really touched my heart and to see them ready to give, shows there is a lot more good in this world than bad and I’ll be forever trying to repay what they’ve done for my family.”