But Dal Santo said that bond would count for nothing on Saturday night.

"Brendon and I also lived together for about three and a half years so it's a little bit ironic," Dal Santo said at Arden Street on Tuesday.

"Come the weekend and (given) the way that 'BJ' goes about his football – (he's) very competitive – I don't think there will be any love lost for that two hours, and then post that we can be friends again.

Dal Santo said being part of another finals series had vindicated his decision to move to North.

"It's been a long year and this is what we're all working towards and it's finally here," Dal Santo said.

"It's really exciting not only for me, but the whole footy club."

Dal Santo will be the most experienced finals player in North's team this Saturday night, having played an equal club record 17 finals for St Kilda.
 
Brent Harvey is the only North player who has played more finals than Dal Santo (18), but the Roos' veteran still has one match of a three-game suspension to serve.
 
Many players in North's team this weekend will have played just the one final – the 96-point elimination final loss to West Coast in 2012 – and just seven players on North's list were part of the club's last finals win in 2007.
 
Despite the Roos' lack of finals experience, Dal Santo is confident his young teammates have what it takes to perform in September.
 
"All I've passed on at this stage is just be ready to be flexible, because the week is a little bit different," Dal Santo said.
 
"You obviously do a little bit of media and there's a few more people at training. You just need to understand that you need to get your preparation right, but outside of that it's a time to relax.
 
"I think this group is really mature and I know we are generally pretty young and guys have played one final in the last few years.
 
"But I think the way that they've handled themselves throughout the whole year (means) nothing special has to happen this week for us to be ready to play."
 
Saturday night's game will be the first North final Harvey has missed since he was overlooked for the Roos' 1997 qualifying final win over Geelong.
 
Standing alongside Dal Santo on Tuesday, North vice-captain Drew Petrie said Harvey would struggle looking on from the MCG grandstand.
 
"I've found that the longer the suspension has gone on the better Boomer's got, but I think that will change this week given it's a final and there's a whole lot more to miss from him not being there on the weekend," Petrie said.
 
"While we've got plenty of reasons to win this week, one more is so he (Harvey) can play the following week."
 
North has played at the MCG just twice this year, in round five against Collingwood and in round 14 against Melbourne, while the Bombers have played there seven times in 2014.
 
But both Petrie and Dal Santo were adamant that the Roos wouldn't be disadvantaged by their lack of recent match practice at the MCG.