SCOTT Rhodes and Damian Ball remained hot on the heels of Lee Jackson this week as the Evening Press/ Collier Plant Hire player-of-the-year race hotted up once more.

Stand-off Rhodes was deemed the second-best player for the Knights in their defeat at Workington last week and therefore picks up two player-of-the-year points, and also came top in the fans' poll and so collected the bonus point too.

These three lift him to just one point behind leader Jackson, while fit-again loose-forward Ball also stayed in touch by collecting three points for being deemed the Evening Press' man of the match in a two-try display.

Prop Yusuf Sozi followed up his brace against Hull KR with another against Town in a bulldozing all-round performance and was awarded the remaining point for being deemed the Knights' third-best player.

Latest standings: Jackson 22pts, Rhodes 21, Ball 19, Brough 16, Friend 16, Callaghan 13, Langley 13, Graham 7, Elston 7, Cain 6, Forsyth 6, Buchanan 6, Godfrey 5, Stewart 5, Sozi 5, Briggs 2, J Smith 2, Wood 2, Walker 2, Hayes 1, Andrews 1.

Updated: 10:31 Saturday, July 10, 2004