And, with the advent of social media websites like BigFooty, Facebook and Twitter, the mill's reach has grown quicker than Bulldog Ben Hudson's beard in recent seasons.
Last Friday was a good example: a regular poster on BigFooty, a popular footy fan forum, started a thread entitled “Petrie rumour”.
Posting it on the site's North Melbourne section, it was said "the word" was the club's vice-captain Drew Petrie had broken a bone in his foot again (three separate breaks sidelined him for all bar two games last year).
Understandably, this caused a commotion among logged-on Roo fans.
Petrie is one of the Kangas’ genuine match-winners and coach Brad Scott had been planning to build his forward line around him and young centre half-forward Lachie Hansen this season.
An even bigger concern was the nature of the injury. Broken foot bones are typically slow to heal and, in some cases, they don’t - at least not to the extent that they can cope with the demands of AFL football.
So any recurrence of Petrie's foot problems would not only cast doubt over his 2011 season but also the rest of his career; just ask former Cat Matthew Egan and 2008 Hawthorn premiership player Trent Croad.
The North fans on BigFooty didn't miss the possible seriousness of the situation.
"Seriously, if this is true and significant it could almost be career ending," said one poster, who captured the forum's mood.
They also noted that posters often knew what they were talking about. Visit BigFooty even semi-regularly and you’ll soon gather some posters are not just blowhards desperate to launch their musings into cyberspace. Some have contacts at their chosen clubs and often spill the beans about clubs news - anything from player delistings, coach signings and sackings, off-field ventures and injuries - before any official club announcement.
It's not only the fans who have twigged to this either. The media know such sites are a fertile source of news, so scour them for tasty morsels. This means a rumour on BigFooty can potentially find a large audience very quickly.
Which is why the response of the North Melbourne communications department to the Petrie rumour was impressive.
The thread - and the rumour - had been posted at 8.33am. Entering the thread's discussion little more an hour later, at 9.48am, North's post was simple. Under the heading "Drew Petrie runs out for training on Friday", it posted a photo taken that morning of Petrie, in training gear and footy boots, running down the Arden Street players' race.
And, with that, the rumour was quashed almost as soon as it started.
This short-circuited any possible media interest and saved Petrie the annoyance of having to again assure the football world his feet really are OK - he's already acutely aware he has to manage them carefully for the rest of his career.
It also put the diehard fans' minds at ease quickly. As one of the less colourful responses showed, they were greatly appreciative: "Gotta love our media team this pre-season. Thanks... for quashing those rumours."
North's post on BigFooty was nothing new. For the past couple of years, Heath O'Loughlin's communications team has used the site as another avenue to pass on club news and, more importantly, like last Friday, to answer any fan queries or concerns.
It's an approach that ensures fans feel engaged with the club they love. It's not rocket science, just good communication. Communication that shows North is in touch with the new media that, like the iconic Hudson beard, will grow on and on and on.
