The Brumbies have not won a game away from Canberra since April last year, failing to break the away curse in the past six matches and desperate to end the trend to be a Super Rugby contender.

Coach Stephen Larkham has tinkered with the team's international travel schedule while captain Stephen Moore said the Brumbies finished their preparations in the capital before flying to Melbourne on Friday.

It's one of only a handful of occasions on the past five years that the Brumbies have opted against a match-eve hit-out.

The clash against the Rebels at AAMI Park is the start of a potential season-defining run, with the Brumbies to take on all four Australian rivals over the next month.

"It's a mental challenge, we're not having a captain's run down there. The mental component is going to be the key," Moore said.

"We're trying [this approach] as opposed to previous years where we've gone down and had a captain's run and we haven't gone as well as we would have wanted to.

"This year we'll change it up a little bit. I don't want it to affect anyone's preparation or mental preparation and I don't think it will. We'll get down there and get on with the job."

Moore will become the Brumbies' third captain in three weeks as he returns to the starting side following his recovery from a knee reconstruction.

The 92-Test hooker was appointed as the Brumbies' leader almost six months ago, but the match against the Rebels will be the official start of his on-field tenure.

It's also the start of Moore's bid to improve his leadership qualities, potentially paving the way for him to claim the Wallabies' captaincy job for the World Cup.

Moore was injured in the first five minutes of his first Test as captain last year, with Michael Hooper stepping up to take the Australian reins in his absence.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is yet to make a decision on who will lead the team at the World Cup at the end of the year.

"[Captaincy] is new to me as well, I don't profess to know everything about it," Moore said.

"I think this year is about learning and hopefully that comes pretty quickly. I already have a rapport with the referees, we have a lot of dialogue around the set piece.

"It won't be entirely foreign to me. It's just game management, I talk a lot to [Larkham] about that through the week about different scenarios and what might happen and our options.

"I've got plenty of support around me ... I haven't overthought it. I haven't thought about it [being an audition for the Wallabies], I just want to do a good job here and get it right. It's a learning experience and I'm really honoured.

"I have to make sure I'm contributing on the field, I think that's an important role as captain and the rest will fall in."

The Rebels inflicted a shock defeat on the Brumbies last year which proved a crucial blow in the ACT team's hopes of securing a home final.

The Rebels had won just one of their first five games when they ran into the Brumbies, with ACT fullback Jesse Mogg scoring a try just three minutes into the contest.

But forwards coach Dan McKellar said the Brumbies fell into a trap of thinking they would cruise to victory, admitting the players learnt a harsh lesson in clocking off.

"We've got huge respect for Melbourne ... we realise we've got a tough game ahead. Last year I suppose we dropped our attitude and they were good enough to get home," McKellar said.

"We need to continue to back ourselves and that when the pressure comes on, we trust in our game and back what we have worked on.

"We've got four Australian teams now so if we can have four good results then we get some games at home and it's an important month."

SUPER RUGBY ROUND THREE

Saturday: Melbourne Rebels v ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park, 7.40pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2