Lealiifano will get a ''clean start'' when he plays his first match on Friday night since dislocating his ankle against the NSW Waratahs in May last year.

And while he was favoured to claim the Wallabies five-eighth spot before his season ended prematurely, the 25-year-old will launch his bid for Test selection as an inside-centre.

Lealiifano's painful journey back ends when the Brumbies play Western Force in a trial game in Darwin.

But before he pulls on the jersey, he will phone Mitchell for an in-depth chat about how to overcome the nerves, pressure and fear after a serious injury.

Waratahs winger Mitchell dislocated his ankle and broke a bone in his leg two years ago and had to battle through a drawn-out recovery and constant pain.

''I'll give Drew a call before kick-off just to have a chat, I just want to pick his brain to see if what I'm feeling is normal,'' Lealiifano said.

''The nerves and everything you feel going into that first game back … just to get that reassurance that everything is going to be all right.

''I've seen his progression, we've spoken a lot and seeing where he is makes you feel comfortable that everything will be all right. It's not just me that's been through a hard time.''

Lealiifano was having the best season of his career before his leg was caught under teammate Andrew Smith and he left the field in agony.

He was playing so well that despite missing the second half of the season he still managed to finish runner-up in Australia's Super Rugby player of the year award.

Had he been fit, Lealiifano would have almost certainly been given a chance to impress in the Wallabies No.10 jumper.

But with Matt Toomua returning from a knee injury which ended his 2012 campaign and Pat McCabe sidelined until at least round four, coach Jake White will use Lealiifano as an inside-centre.

Now in his sixth season in Canberra, Lealiifano's goal is to return ''better than I was before'' and stay in Wallabies contention.

He's unfazed by switching back to inside-centre and confident it won't harm his Test claims.

''I'm nervous because I haven't played for so long, but I'm excited and I've been doing contact training since December, so I've got confidence in stepping and tackling and everything,'' Lealiifano said.

''Wanting to come back even better is something that has driven me. I'm not going to set the world on fire [on Friday] but to be able to tick a few more boxes and build some momentum is perfect for me.''

The Brumbies will unleash a near full-strength line-up in the first half against the Force with recruit David Pocock suiting up for the first time.

It's the Brumbies' only pre-season match against a Super Rugby opponent and White will rest his starting XV for the second 40 minutes.

The match signals the end of a three-year deal between the Brumbies and Northern Territory government, with the two-time Super Rugby champions not returning to Darwin for pre-season games next year.

Skipper Ben Mowen will start at No.8 and the new leadership group of Pocock, Stephen Moore and Lealiifano will all be on the field at the same time.

''We've spoken a lot about taking our game to the next level this year,'' Mowen said.

''I'm extremely excited by the leaders we've got, Christian is a natural leader and performer and he's got good balance.

''Poey and Squeak [Moore] speak for themselves, they add so much and Squeak was outstanding last year, he drove our forward pack and the team standards. Poey is already having a huge influence.

''This is a good position to be in, we need a variety of voices to deliver messages, so this is going to be great for us.''