Antonio Winterstein /

Fast facts

• Born in Auckland, NZ
• Relocated to Brisbane where he debuted for the Broncos in 2009
• Joined North Queensland Cowboys in 2011 where he played until retirement in 2018
• Represented Samoa and NRL All Stars
• Scored 97 tries from 214 first-grade appearances in the NRL
• NRL Community Program Deliverer since 2018

Biography

Born in Auckland NZ, Antonio moved to Australia while still young and grew up in Brisbane where he played his junior football.

After joining the Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg team in 2007, Antonio returned to Brisbane to be closer to family and made his first-grade debut in 2009 for the Brisbane Broncos.

Antonio joined the North Queensland Cowboys in 2011 where he played until his retirement during the 2018 season.

During his career, the winger has captained Samoa and represented the NRL All Stars and scored 97 tries from 214 appearances in the NRL.

Antonio says as he is well known and respected in his community, he wants to be able to give back after experiencing the devastating effects of mental illness first hand.

"A family member passed away from mental health problems and I appreciated the support I received. I would like to help prevent any other families going through what our family had to," Antonio said.

Antonio has worked extensively in the community already with the Cowboys and is excited to be extending his work for the State of Mind program, helping to increase mental health literacy, reduce the stigma around mental illness, start positive conversations across communities regarding this important social issue.