Western Force coach John Mitchell again rang the changes to his starting line-up for Saturday's Super 14 match against the Brumbies at Canberra Stadium.

A torn medial knee ligament will sideline Gareth Hardy for up to six weeks, opening the door for 21-year-old Pek Cowan to return to the starting line-up at loosehead prop in one of five changes by Mitchell.

Cowan will pack down alongside experienced duo Tai McIsaac and Ben Castle in the front row, while Tom Hockings has won his first run-on appearance for the season at lock and Matt Hodgson will start in the No.6 jersey.

Hodgson has played just 25 minutes of each of the Force's opening two matches, but has been favoured for the weekend clash ahead of former Brumbies forward Tamaiti Horua.

Mitchell has also made changes to his backs, moving 18-year-old James O'Connor to the reserves bench and calling on the experience of Junior Pelesasa at inside centre.

Pelesasa has spent the opening fortnight of the season confined to the sidelines nursing a hamstring injury, while O'Connor dealt with a sprained ankle during the week.

Force medical staff were confident the teenager has overcome the complaint, but will assess Cameron Shepherd's condition ahead of game day before he is confirmed as a starter on the right wing.

Shepherd sat out last week's hard-fought 16-10 victory over the Cheetahs with ankle soreness and will have his situation monitored during the team's final two training sessions.

Drew Mitchell retains the fullback jersey after a strong showing against the Cheetahs, while another former Brumby in Richard Stanford is on the reserves bench.

Stanford was acquired from the Brumbies for the 2009 season by the Force after six appearances in the navy blue jersey.

The 22-year-old is in line to make his Force debut, winning his first selection in the match 22.

Mitchell said his side was eagerly anticipating their first derby showdown of 2009.

"The Australian derby matches always have that bit of extra feeling no matter who it is that's playing, so we're looking forward to the challenge on the start of our southern tour," he said.

"We've certainly gone for more mobility in the side, but again we are looking at getting the best out of our entire squad and have based selections on the best mix for the opposition."

Force: Cameron Shepherd, Ryan Cross, Junior Pelesasa, Nick Cummins, Matt Giteau, Josh Valentine, Richard Brown; David Pocock, Matt Hodgson, Nathan Sharpe (capt), Tom Hockings, Ben Castle, Tai McIsaac, Pek Cowan. Res: Luke Holmes, Kieran Longbottom, Richard Stanford, Tamaiti Horua, Chris O'Young, James O'Connor, Haig Sare.

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