But one month after joining the Melbourne Rebels, Owen says his hunger for game time - not his frustrating time in Canberra - is his motivation for the Super Rugby clash.

Owen is expected to retain his place in the Rebels' starting front row for their match against the Australian conference-leading Brumbies in Melbourne.

Just six weeks ago Owen was on the Brumbies' roster trying to force his way into Jake White's prop rotation.

But with Wallabies Ben Alexander and Dan Palmer ahead of him, Owen was starved of game time and just six games into a two-year deal he left the capital.

''I don't feel like I need to prove anything to [the Brumbies],'' Owen said.

''It's more for myself and that I was good enough to play Super Rugby.

''I just want to have a good game and show I can mix it with someone like Benny A [Alexander]. If I'm on my game hopefully I can show off what I'm going to do.

''It was very frustrating not being able to continue on, I wasn't happy with how I played last year so I had a big-off season and was hoping to be in the [front-row] mix.

''To not be considered was tough. I thought I was ticking the boxes.''

The Brumbies will name their team to take on the Rebels today.

Robbie Coleman is in contention for a starting spot, while Colby Faingaa is a chance to play his first game of the season.

After playing eight games for the Brumbies last year, Owen fell behind Alexander, Palmer and Ruaidhri Murphy in the front-row rotation.

Owen admitted it was hard to sit in the background and wait for his opportunity to play again.

The lure of more game time and a chance at a starting spot convinced Owen to go to Melbourne.

When he left the capital last month, White said Owen did not ''fit in our culture'' and granted him an early release from his deal.

The 25-year-old has since signed an upgraded contract with the Rebels and earned his first starting XV cap against the Wellington Hurricanes last weekend.

The tighthead prop could line up against one of his front row idols in Brumbies regular loosehead Alexander in the derby contest.

However, White has been rotating his front row this season to keep his props fresh and Alexander could switch sides of the scrum.

When in Canberra, Owen's nickname was the BASF - Benny A Super Friend.

He tried to model his game on versatile Wallaby Alexander and the pair will square off at scrum time.

''He started sending me messages on Sunday about the game and messing around with me a bit. He's been saying the boys have money on who can put the biggest hit on me and things like that,'' Owen said. ''It's going to be good to see how I go against him, he's a good mate and it will be fun to challenge myself.''

TOMORROW

Melbourne Rebels v ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park, 7.40pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 3