But the former Saint says despite the build-up around this week’s clash, it’s business as usual.
"It’s going to be a little bit weird, but that’s natural," Dal Santo told NMFC.com.au.
"I feel more comfortable now being Round 17 than I probably would have early on in the year.
"I think once the ball is bounced you’ve got to play football and that’s what our job is, and I’m really looking forward to going away and hopefully having a good win away from home."
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The three-time All-Australian still remains close friends with several players at his former club, and says there are no hard feelings about his departure last year.
"Looking back on it, St Kilda had to make a decision to let me go, and I had to accept it and agree to move on.
"But I’d like to think after 12 years, you’ve got a really good relationship with the club, and I appreciate everything they’ve (the Saints) done. I’d never say a bad word about them.
"We’re professional athletes and it (changing clubs) happens. It’s my turn to go up against my old side, so once the ball’s bounced it’s dead serious."
Dal Santo admits it’s been difficult watching the Saints on the end of some heavy defeats so far this season.
"Knowing the guys so well and how hard AFL footy is in general, let alone losing games by big margins, it doesn’t bring me any joy," he said.
"I think those older guys, Rooey (Nick Riewoldt), Joey (Leigh Montagna), Lenny (Hayes) and those guys, they’ve done a really good job for a long period of time and they are there for a different reason at the moment. They are helping the young kids so that’s the most important bit."
Nevertheless, he won’t be taking a backward step at Blundstone Arena on Saturday.
"There’ll be a time to relax and enjoy and have a laugh about it, but it won’t be on the weekend."
Having watched Brendon Goddard go through a similar situation last year, Dal Santo knows what types of feelings he’ll be confronted with should North prevail.
"I don’t think I’ll cry… I saw how that went last year with Brendon after we played them. I’ll be a bit emotional, I reckon that’s natural, but I think I’ll leave the crying to another time.
"It’ll be mixed emotion. I’ll be thrilled that we’ve won a game and we need to win more games this year to achieve what we can, but in saying that I don’t like seeing St Kilda lose and I’d never think to rub it in to the boys."
After 260 games at Moorabbin, it was never going to be an easy task moving into a new locker room, but the in-form midfielder has quickly found his feet.
"I definitely feel like I’m settling in (at North), absolutely. From where I was when I first got here to where I am now is leaps and bounds in front of that feeling of being a part of it," Dal Santo added.
"I love the way the boys go about it. I feel a bit more a part of it because of what we’ve gone through this year, the emotions of winning and losing, and just understanding what the boys have been about for a long time, I definitely feel a part of that. I think that will get more and more as the year goes on and in the years to come.
"Going through what I did last year (with free agency), probably one of the main reasons I decided to come here was, one, I love the way the boys go about it. Two, I respected Brad Scott as a coach…I thought he represented the boys and the club really well. And I just thought they were a good group that worked hard.
"Going through the pre-season I realised that they worked harder than I thought.
"If I had have known that I may have made a different decision (laughing), because it was as hard a pre-season that I’ve had in 12 or 13 years."
With an emerging group and some seasoned leaders, Dal Santo believes the future is bright at Arden Street.
"Some of the people outside this footy club don’t realise how young the boys are, and that’s not an excuse for the inconsistency. I just think in general it’s a younger group than probably where we’ve been performing. I’m really excited about that.
"There’s still a large group of guys that are early to mid-20’s that have got years to develop. It’s great that towards the latter years of my career that I can be part of that and see that and ride off their coat-tails a little bit as well.
"There’s still a lot of work to do, and there’s no guarantees, I’ve learnt that throughout my career. But we want to give ourselves an opportunity and we’ll take it or miss out on it, whatever may happen."
