Clubs can only laugh off rumours as silly season starts to hit top gear

I sent a text to one club president to line up a time for an interview, adding I was looking forward to chatting about the silly season rumours.

"There's enough of them haha," came the reply.

That pretty much sums it up.

We're currently in the middle of the annual general meeting period. Forbes had theirs on October 2 while Lithgow will round them out on November 5.

The focus for clubs has been on forming boards and making sure everything is in place, but it hasn't stopped the rumour mill from running wild.

The biggest name floating around at the moment is Ben Murdoch-Masila, the Tongan international and prop with almost 250 NRL and Super League appearances on his CV.

He's seemingly headed to a number of clubs and no doubt we'll hear plenty more of his name in the coming weeks and months.

New Orange CYMS president Ryan Prevett has only been in his role for less than a week but was already fielding calls from mates and rivals clubs asking him if all the signing rumours were true and how the club has been able to afford all these supposed players.

While there have been a few new faces already locked in for the Orange club, Prevett has laughed off most of the rumours involving the green and golds.

Justin Carney has been in the news plenty after confirming recently he was leaving his role as Albury Thunder captain-coach to move back home.

That made almost everyone immediately state the former NRL and Super League star was playing with the Nyngan Tigers again in 2024 while others have linked him to rival PMP clubs.

All this has been happening while the word from down south was Carney battled with injuries so much this season he might not even play footy again.

The story we ran on Carney's future earlier this month has now been picked up a number of other media organisations, which has only fuelled the flames.

Long live silly season.

It will be worth keeping an eye on the Western Zone T20 Bash this weekend, and not just to see who ends up with their hands on the Tremain-Copeland Trophy.

One of the most intriguing aspects will be watching to see which players put their hands up for some of the remaining Western Zone spots.

The bowling group for the representative side is particularly uncertain.

With some players from last season like Ben Knaggs unavailable for selection and other contenders like Matt Purse yet to bowl a ball this season due to injury, the stocks are looking a little thin.

Bathurst Ben Parsons will headline the fast bowling cartel and Bailey Edmunds is all but assured a spot, but other positions are definitely up for grabs.

Central West Wranglers players like Hugh Parsons, Blayde Burke and Tanvir Singh definitely have an opportunity to put their hand up this weekend.

The Panorama Platypi have been outstanding in this season's Western Women's Rugby League and impressed across all age groups.

On Sunday, October 27, a new Panorama side will step out and aim to match those efforts.

The club has been hard at work organising an exhibition match to give the older women and those who don't play full-time a chance to play.

Mums, aunties, friends and fans will have the chance to step out and the Panorama Platypi social media team has been hard work to provide updates and talk about the quality on show at the training so this one will definitely be worth watching.

As much as it's fun, it's also a great initiative to give those women who never got the chance to play when they were younger and opportunity to play in front of friends and even their daughters.

The match will be against Mudgee at 12.15pm at the Hereford Street fields.