DIARY: Justice for Minikin, try charts, and importance of youth/reserves set-up

It was started in light-hearted jest by Knights head coach James Ford after prodigious talent Greg Minikin missed out on the League Young Player of the Year accolade.

But, while good-humoured, it probably was tinged with a element of serious disappointment, and perhaps even disbelief, that the 20-year-old didn't get the award as many people in the Midland Hotel on Monday had expected.

Instead, it went to Newcastle's Matty Beharrell, despite the Thunder having a frustrating season overall, ending down in eighth.

Beharrell, who joined Newcastle permanently a year ago after a year on dual-reg from Hull KR, is a very good player as proven by nominations for this award in the past two years, so nobody can begrudge his success. And Minikin himself was very magnanimous, showing the levels of professionalism that have helped to make him the player he is at such tender years - and that have helped him to bag a probable full-time deal at Castleford next year (a switch which remains unconfirmed, by the way).

"It's not a surprise he won. I had a feeling I might have had a chance but everyone who was shortlisted deserved it," said Minikin.

But, come on. Anyone who has seen the Knaresborough flier's rise to prominence over the past two years and weekly exploits this season could be forgiven for being a little flabbergasted. Beharrell, who is leaving Thunder this autumn, was probably third favourite of the nominees, too, Swinton's Ben White the other on the shortlist.

"That surely has to be a joke, right???" tweeted Knights fan Nigel Moulton.

For the record, the player awards at this dinner are decided by coaches' votes.

Each coach names their top three players - both for Player of the Year and Young Player - awarding them five points, three points and one point respectively. Those scores are then tallied up by a Rugby Football League statistician. The RFL, unsurprisingly, would not reveal the scores each player got.

The Coach of the Year award is also decided by coaches, who name the one man they feel deserves that accolade.

Oldham's Scott Naylor was probably favourite after leading the Roughyeds to a clear top spot - and home advantage in tomorrow's promotion play-off against second-placed Keighley.

It would not have been a major surprise had Ford pipped him, though, having taken York to fourth in his rookie season as a head coach, despite a year of off-field strife. But, alas, it was not to be.

Ford, though, was utterly magnanimous too. "How could you not give it to Scott Naylor?" he said.

GREG MINIKIN nevertheless remains on course for another prestigious award - The Press Player of the Year gong.

However, this one is set to go down to the wire after Ed Smith's man of the match award in last week's defeat to Barrow gave him a chance to usurp the long-time leader as the season heads into the play-offs.

The Knights, rattled by 12-man Barrow's aggressive tactics, were knocked off their stride last week, but Smith was one to get on with his usual high-standard job regardless.

The three Player of the Year points he picked up as our star man lifted him to one point behind Minikin.

However, Minikin also played well as usual down the right flank and was deemed our second best performer on the day so picks up two player of the year points to eke his lead at the top back up to three points.

Ryan Mallinder gave as good as he got against the Raiders and was deemed our third best on the day (1pt).

The Knights have either one or two matches left this season - depending on whether they win next weekend's play-off semi-final at Swinton - so there could yet be another twist in The Press Player of the Year race.

Furthermore, given there will be three games in September, courtesy of the team reaching the play-offs, we will also be awarding a final Player of the Month award, and the three bonus points for that could yet prove significant in the annual accolade, too.

Meanwhile, Jonny Presley, the August Player of the Month, joined Kriss Brining in fourth place in the Player of the Year standings thanks to his man of the match accolade in the win at North Wales Crusaders.

Other points winners that day were two of the frontline props - and both former Press Players of the Year - Mark Applegarth (2pts) and Jack Aldous (1pt).

The Press Player of the Year standings: Minikin 29pts, E Smith 26, Tonks 17, Brining 13, Presley 13, Applegarth 12, Nicholson 11, Howden 10, Cunningham 8, Haynes 7, Aldous 6, P Smith 5, Mallinder 5, Morrison 4, Clare 4, B Dent 3, A Dent 2, Blagbrough 2, Learmonth 2, Roche 1, Aspinall 1, Craig 1, Carter 1.

IT'S a bit notable, is it not, that the top two in the Player of the Year leaderboard, and indeed three of the top four, namely Greg Minikin, Ed Smith and Kriss Brining, are all lads who came through the Knights' youth and reserve system - a set-up that sadly had to be curtailed thanks largely to the community stadium saga.

Furthermore, it is home-grown lads who have scored the bulk of the team's tries this season.

Smith took what was already his best-ever return up to 13 touchdowns for the season in last week's loss to Barrow.

He now sits third in the club's try charts behind Brining, way ahead on 22 after no fewer than four hat-tricks, and Minikin, with 17.

Then comes another York lad, Ed's big brother Pat, and another home-grown product, Ben Dent, both on 12, level with fellow winger Nev Morrison.

In all, York lads and/or Knights youth products have contributed just over half of the club's total try tally this season - with 97 of the team's 192.

Not bad is it - and further proof of the importance of bringing local talent through.

Last year's top scorer was also home-grown, namely Dent senior.

Dent's younger brother, Adam, meanwhile, scored last week to make it five tries in six outings this year, and seven in eight in his burgeoning first-team career.

Knights leading scorers 2015: Brining 22, Minikin 17, Ed Smith 13, P Smith 12, B Dent 12, Morrison 12, Cunningham 11, Tonks 10, Clare 9, Nicholson 8, Howden 8, Carter 7, Craig 7, Presley 7.

TALKING of Adam Dent - and taking us back to the subject of the club's youth and reserve set-up - if he and several other fringe players had been getting regular games in the reserves, a team which sadly had to fold due to homelessness and related cash flow issues, then he and the club would surely be better for it.

Training is one thing, even at a state-of-the-art facility, but lads need to play matches too and, as it stands, with Nev Morrison now joining James Haynes in the treatment room and with the Castleford dual-reg lads long gone, the youngster could well be thrown in at the deep end in the play-offs on the back of just handful of games all year. Not ideal.