North Melbourne stalwart Harvey is set to play his 400th AFL game on Saturday and long-time teammates Drew Petrie and Michael Firrito on Friday gave some insight into the man who is as disciplined and consistent in his own life as he is on the training track.

Not long after Petrie arrived at the club, he moved into the spare room at Harvey's house.

"His meticulous nature carries on at home, he's very tidy," Petrie said.

"A way of getting under his skin at the football club is the boys get into his locker and mess it up ... those little moments are as good as some of the stuff that we see on field."

Petrie said there was no secret to how Harvey had reached 400 games to join an elite club that has only three other members: Dustin Fletcher, Michael Tuck and Kevin Bartlett.

"It's been hard work, resilience, competitiveness ... Brent encapsulates all those words."

Some commentators have accused North Melbourne of mishandling the milestone game, suggesting coach Brad Scott's desire to put each player on notice had meant Harvey's achievement was not properly celebrated.

But Firrito, himself a player in more than 200 senior games, said Harvey had been enjoying the week.

"There's nothing he doesn't like about footy, he loves it all, so I think all the media he just embraces," he said.

"I think he just can't wait for the game to start."

Firrito said he marvelled at Harvey's ability to keep going at 37, but he had little doubt he could play another season.

People had written him off before, but he always bounced back, and he still had the desire and willingness to compete.

"He's highly skilled, he's quick, he's still got all those tricks and he's the smartest footballer I think I've ever come across."

Firrito and Petrie both said they could not imagine Harvey playing at another club.

"He's a very loyal man, he'll be loyal to the day he dies," Petrie said.

North Melbourne will be fighting for a spot in the top eight at the weekend, against Brisbane, who are languishing at the bottom of the ladder. But Petrie said the Lions were better than their win-loss record suggested.

"They've been really good in first halves of games, they've got a lot of running players," he said.

"If we don't give them the respect they deserve, they are capable of jumping us."