THE NATIONAL Inclusion Carnival being held on the Gold Coast is littered with great personal stories, but Queensland brothers Johnny and Brad Lawrence have one of the most unique.

Johnny is the Queensland captain and Brad his deputy, with the pair hailing from a family almost big enough to field their own team.

The carnival is for footballers with an intellectual disability and is fielding eight teams from around the country – Vic Metro, Vic Country, Queensland, Northern Territory, NSW/ACT, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.

What started as respite care 18 years ago for Rod and Judith Jenner turned into a lifetime of passion, as they not only took in Johnny and Brad, but their six siblings over the years.

The Jenners also have three children of their own.

Aside from his intellectual disability, Johnny also has no radius in his arm, a condition known as Tar Syndrome.

"I get a bit emotional. It's great, gives you a lump in the throat," Rod Jenner told ABC Radio of seeing the boys play.

"The year we got Johnny, he'd had 101 blood transfusions … we knew nothing about Tar Syndrome.

"His health was shocking. He could hardly get around. You'd only have to touch him anywhere and he'd bruise."

But now the pair has helped Queensland into the top pool of four teams ahead of Saturday's finals day at Broadbeach.

Not only have teams played matches since Tuesday, but they have also gone to an education session with the Gold Coast Suns, taken clinics at Special Schools and will be at Saturday night's Suns-Richmond match at Metricon Stadium.

Vic Country won the inaugural national carnival in 2014 and Vic Metro has won the past two years.

Brad and Johnny Lawrence with their family