Breen (20), was born and bred in Oamaru, but left the town at the end of schooling and headed to Dunedin to further his education and rugby career.
But a couple of years later, he now finds himself back wearing the North Otago jersey.
Breen is turning out for the province under the player of origin scheme, which was introduced this year by the New Zealand Rugby Union for teams in the Heartland Championship.
Players who went to secondary school in a province but left to play in another are eligible to play for their original province.
Breen ably qualifies, having attended Waitaki Boys High School, where he said he was more into basketball than rugby.
"My main sport was really basketball but I still enjoyed my rugby. When I was 16 I was called into the North Otago team and had one game for them," he said.
Breen came off the bench in 2005, to play on the wing, when North Otago put 50 points over South Canterbury in an early season match.
But that was the last time he thought about turning out for North Otago, as Dunedin beckoned.
Playing for Alhambra-Union this year, he was approached by North Otago coach Mike Mullins after a club game and leaped at the chance to wear his former province's jersey under the origin scheme.
He had represented North Otago teams through the age groups.
Breen has started every game this season for North Otago at fullback, as the team slowly starts to come together after disappointing opening losses to South Canterbury and Poverty Bay.
"It is a step up from club play, and we've been a bit slow out of the blocks. But I'm used to it with Alhambra-Union. Things are now starting to work and we're starting to play a bit better."
He is not the only Alhambra-Union player turning out for a Heartland Championship side. Hooker Ben Pereira plays for Wairarapa Bush.
Breen, whose twin brother, Robbie, plays for Green Island, said he was loving playing fullback after starting out the club season at first five-eighth.
"You get a bit more freedom and you can be more of an individual. In the backline you can just turn up where ever you want."
North Otago has a crucial match on Saturday against Mid Canterbury.
The winner will go through to the Meads Cup pool of matches, while the loser will go down to the Lochore Cup.
The match, to be played in Ashburton, would be tough, Breen said, but North Otago was improving, as its 50-point hammering of Thames Valley last Saturday showed.
Breen was not tiring of the travelling - he heads to Oamaru two nights a week for practice and on Fridays for weekend matches.
In the first year of a two-year personal training course at Otago Polytechnic, Breen said the journey north was one with which he was quite familiar.
"North Otago have been good enough to lend us a van and the guys take turns at driving. I know the road pretty well. I used to travel on it every week at least when I was playing basketball."
