With Sav, North haven't taken too much of a risk. We got him with our fifth pick (#30 overall) and he's on the lowest player payments available according to the player payment agreement. If he fails, we really haven't lost too much. If he succeeds, then naturally, we'll be very happy. If he does do well at North, that does not mean that Collingwood has made the wrong decision though. Malthouse is obviously looking at creating a new forward structure, so if an A.Rocca-Tarrant-Molloy forward line works, then it's really a win-win.
North have been woeful against Collingwood in recent years. Ditto for our games against Melbourne and Essendon, and that is due to our lack of pace in the midfield (we do have fast players with Pickett, King, Harvey, Abraham), but they've mainly played on the half forward and half back flanks. We've been destroyed in the midfield where the likes of Simpson, Bell, and Stevens have hardly been blessed with pace. Hopefully the new players will rectify that situation. We've also had a turnover of about a dozen players, so instead of seeing Sholl and Capuano recalled to the team whenever we get into a hole, we'll get some new players to call on. So don't pencil in that win against North just yet.