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AN ecstatic Kieran Daley credited club captaincy as the catalyst for a rise to prominence that will see him put his skills on display for AFL scouts itching to discover untapped talent.

After thinking being selected for the Queensland Country Stockmen was as good as it could get a month ago, Daley was given the shock of his life when picked to represent Queensland at the Australian Country Carnival.

The Hermit Park Tigers skipper will don the maroon of his state at the titles in Canberra in just under two weeks.

It is a rare achievement for AFL Townsville players, with league stalwarts yesterday recalling it had been about a decade since a local player had been selected to compete at the prestigious championships.

"I think getting picked for the Stockmen is a pretty big accomplishment. Coming from up here it's getting harder and for us to get picked," said Daley, who is also AFL Townsville's development officer. "So Queensland Country (selection) is a fair feather. It was initially a shock, but it's something I'm looking forward to as a challenge and as a stepping stone as well."

AFL scouts will be thick on the ground at the titles and AFL Queensland football services manager Brian Douge said being drafted from the championships straight into the big time was not unusual.

Daley started his march to selection with a best-on-ground performance in a Townsville-Mackay representative game, before a stand-out second-half effort for the Stockmen convinced selectors he was ready for the step up.

He booted three goals after he shifted from rover to the wing.

"He was an exceptional link-man but, more importantly, demonstrated that off a wing he could kick goals and produced a couple of passages of play which were quite unique for a lad of his stature," Douge said. "It was a quality game of football and his offensive skills as a wingman were more than what we need for Canberra."

Daley hoped his selection would open the door to more Townsville players taking the step in the future. Asked what had spurred the selection, he said it was the honour of leading the Tigers in 2010.

"Being named captain, I've had to lead by example a little bit more at the Tigers and I think that has helped me train a bit harder and hopefully our boys stand up that little bit as well," Daley said.

The last Townsville players believed to have represented Queensland Country were Wes Knight, Steve Chinner and Chris Gravner at the turn of the century.

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