Co-captain Sam Carter (concussion) and hooker Josh Mann-Rea (hamstring) have been replaced by Blake Enever and Folau Faingaa, while Tom Cusack wrestled back the No. 7 jersey from Lolo Fakaosilea.
Lealiifano admitted they had to try new combinations after dropping two of their first three games and falling 11 points off the pace in the Australian conference.
"Something needed to change and I'm glad Dan had the confidence to do that," Lealiifano said.
"But with the depth of our squad it's easy enough for us to have confidence in those six guys and I think the changes will be seamless.
"The boys have been working hard on a new attacking style and trying to get the ball to those guys (Kuridrani and Speight) in a bit of space… if we can see those guys flying down those edges it would be nice.
"It's going to take a bit of time for our game to click, we would obviously like it happening quicker than it has so far, but it's lucky it's still early in the year and hopefully at the back end we're flying."
McKellar is desperate to see his men make the most of their attacking opportunities and Hawera said he wants to be the catalyst for change.
"I was waiting the whole preseason for a crack and obviously didn't get the nod for the first couple of games, but I'm really excited to see what we can produce this weekend," Hawera said.
"I've had my chances off the bench getting good minutes but I'd like to see myself playing a bit better than I have and it's always easier starting the game and working into it.
"To be able to play with Christian is special. We're close [mates] so we've had a bit of time talking away from rugby, just how we want to attack the game and things we want to put in place."
Wallabies assistant Stephen Larkham gave Muirhead his first start last season and the former Brumbies coach backed the fullback to have an immediate impact in the starting XV.
"Pretty much every game I've seen him play he's played well," Larkham said.
"He was a standout in the Brisbane competition for a number of years and played well for us last year, I'm expecting him to have a very big game.
"Andy reads the game exceptionally well and gets himself in good positions around the paddock, particularly when he's carrying the ball, he finds space sometimes when there is no space.
"He's still a bit of an unknown for opposition teams because he hasn't had a lot of opportunity yet at Super Rugby, but he has very good skills and is very well balanced on his feet."
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SUPER RUGBY ROUND FIVE
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Durban Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets from Ticketek.
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Eamonn Tiernan is a sports reporter with The Canberra Times
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