Manitou Forks Clicking Noise

Hi there,
I enjoy working on my bike but am by no means a bike mechanic. I have what I think is a problem with my forks. When I go over bumps or compress the suspension or use the front brake I sometimes get a click, tick or crack noise. My forks are Manitou Minute 130mm Comps.
When slowing myself with the front brake it happens twice with a second or so in between each click and then won't happen for a few seconds until it sort of resets itself. When lifting front and back wheel onto a kerb separately I get the noise once as well. I have had a problem with these forks previously as the crown was loose so the crown and steerer assembly was replaced. I don't know if it's a similar problem.
The right stantions has noticeable play around the seal and I'm not sure if I'm imagining it but it looks like it moves very slightly. I know forks require some room but for it only to be in one leg confuses me. The noise is very irritating as it happens when going over even quite smooth terrain and as well as just compressing the fork.
The headset is tight and my thoughts on the culprits are the fork (again), the wheel, the spokes or the hub. Anywhere upfront is where I think the noise is coming from. I will re-clean the bars/stem/headset and re-grease anything necessary but I don't think that will solve the problem.

Has anyone had this problem or something similar before. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks