AFTER an exhausting weekend of round-robin AFL representative matches, local junior footballers Xavier Prosser, Aidan Allen-Fancke and Oscar Doland left the field with their heads held high.

The Under-14's Country Championship Carnival was held at Whitsunday Sportspark last weekend as six sides, featuring players from Cape York through to Gladstone, battled it out to impress Central Queensland and North Queensland selectors.

The championships were also a landmark for women's football as Luana Healy became the first female and indigenous coach to shuffle the magnets in the carnival, coaching the Cape York team.

The three Whitsunday Sea Eagles junior players joined the Mackay Crows side.

To play at the carnival the boys committed to a 10-week development training program before being named on the field for the Crows.

Mackay played four games across the three-day carnival.

The Crows started well with a win against Cape York on Friday, but were unable to maintain that form with losses to Cairns, Townsville and Capricornia.

However the hard work coupled with a never-die attitude paid off for Oscar Doland, who was selected as one of 23 players for the Central Queensland side and will go onto to play in the State Championships in Maroochydore in September.

Around 170 junior players flocked to the Whitsundays for the event, staying in local accommodation for two nights.

The Whitsunday Sea Eagles as the host club provided volunteers to run the canteen and help the carnival go off without a hitch.

In a fortnight, the female Under-14's Country Championships will also be played in Airlie Beach where WSE's Deakota Costello and Shakaya Costello will represent Mackay Crows on home turf.