IT'S been a while but captain Jack Aldous is back winning personal accolades - having been voted The Press Player of the Month for May.

He may have been taken for granted in the interim period, as head coach James Ford has pointed out, but "Mr Duracell" has not won such a gong since April 2014, the year in which he went on to pick up his second Press Player of the Year award. That's 25 months ago.

The pocket-battleship prop could not be overlooked this time, though, after a month in which he played all five games, and big minutes in the engine room on most occasions, too, not least in the tough win at Newcastle when Ryan Mallinder broke a leg and the heartbreaking iPro Sport Cup final against Keighley, somehow getting through the entire 80 minutes on both occasions.

He was also The Press' man of the match at Barrow, flying the flag highest in the injury-hit team's only defeat of term.

Ford said the May accolade was richly deserved - and probably overdue - for the man he made skipper at the start of term.

"Regardless of who we play against, Jack's always willing to sacrifice himself and not look at personal accolades for the sake of the team," said Ford.

"He always plays a role I ask him to play, epitomised by him playing all 80 minutes against Keighley, who are a very big team, which allowed some of the other players to play shorter minutes.

"He's matured into a really outstanding leader. The club is really fortunate to have a player of his quality."

He added: "When he's consistently as good as he is, people take him for granted and overlook him for the prizes he deserves. You just basically expect him to do it.

"The players don't, though, and the coaching staff don't. Jack's been enormous for us all season."

WE'VE got a bit of updating to do for The Press Player of the Year leaderboard given the hectic schedule since the last one - with Ed Smith and Josh Tonks the big movers.

Against North Wales Crusaders, the points winners were Tyler Craig (3pts) thanks to his late heroics which bagged a draw, Tonks (2pts), who was a big plus on his return from two games out, and James Morland (1pt).

Tonks (3pts) then took the top prize at Newcastle after his second straight battle against a player of Super League pedigree - on this occasion Kevin Larroyer, following his ding-dong with Stephen Wild five days earlier.

The other points winners that night were the busy Mike Emmett (2pts) and Richard Wilkinson (1pt).

Smith took the big prize (3pts) after the iPro Sport Cup final, after his wonderful late try oh so nearly brought them silverware, only for it to be stolen back by Charlie Martin's wrongly-award touchdown.

Jack Aldous (2pts) had played a big role too, while Mark Applegarth (1pt) collects the remainder.

Smith was also man of the match against Coventry as his hat-trick at centre led the side to their midweek win, while the other points winners were the in-form Tonks (2pts) and Ross Divorty (1pt), who made a very encouraging debut.

Aldous, meanwhile, also picks up the bonus three points as Player of the Month for May.

That lifts the two-time former Player of the Year up to joint-fifth, but Smith has gone further up the rankings, last year's joint-Player of the Year now joining Harry Carter at the head of this year's charts, while Tonks is now only one point back in third.

The Press Player of the Year leaderboard: Carter 11pts, E Smith 11, Tonks 10, Wilkinson 9, Aldous 8, Brining 8, Presley 6, Spiers 5, Morland 5, Turner 4, Emmett 5, Nicklas 3, Applegarth 4, Crowther 3, Craig 3, Buchanan 2, Mallinder 1, Divorty 1.

ROCHDALE winger Chris Riley will be seeking a landmark try tomorrow at Bootham Crescent.

If the former Warrington flier touches down against York City Knights, it will be the 150th try of his notable career.

His current total of 149 comprises 120 for Wire (2005-2014), two for Harlequins (2011), 18 for Wakefield (2014-2015) and nine for Rochdale (2016).

He also has non-scoring appearances for England Knights (2012) and Swinton (2014).

Team-mate Jono Smith, meanwhile, is on a hot scoring run.

The powerfully rotund former North Wales Crusaders second-row, who bagged a fair few in Wrexham too where he also won League Player of the Year honours in 2013, has scored in each of the Hornets last five games, bagging eight tries in the process.

Riley and Smith both sit joint-sixth in the League One try-scoring charts, alongside York's Kriss Brining, with eight tries in league games.

Title favourites Toulouse Olympique are flying highest in the try-scoring stakes, though, with Kuni Minga three clear at the top with 12, and team-mates Mark Kheirallah and Tony Maurel equal second on nine, alongside Doncaster's key signing, Jason Tali, and Keighley's Hamish Barnes.

Toulouse's Rhys Curran and Danny Hulme are also among a clutch of players in ninth place, with seven.

THERE has been a notable milestone achievement over in Super League, meanwhile, by former Knights favourite Danny Brough.

The 33-year-old, who was launched into the top tier after his point-scoring records at Huntington Stadium back in 2004, has now reached 2,000 in his Super League career.

After leaving York, where he notched an all-time club record 178 goals and 412 points in a season in 2004, Brough has scored 183 points for Hull (2005-2006), 68 for Castleford (2006), 408 for Wakefield (2008-2010) and now 1,341 for current club Huddersfield (2010-present). He reached 2,000 in Super League thanks to his try and two goals in the Giants' 24-20 loss to Widnes.

Another former Knight, the much-travelled Jordan Tansey - whose stay at Huntington Stadium was, conversely to Brough, rather disappointing - is only one appearance away from making 150 in Super League, having played 50 for Leeds (2006-2008), 30 for Hull (2009-2010), 18 for Crusaders (2011), 45 for Castleford (2013-2015), four for Wakefield (2015) and two for Huddersfield (this season).

He generally underwhelmed for the Knights in 2012, scoring one try in 17 appearances at scrum-half.