It makes sense as a signing, especially if you consider the alternative of letting his contract expire at the end of the season.
It’s a live question whether you can play all three of Hogan, Tabs and Lobb. But for it to be an issue you probably need those three to be fit all season, as well as Hodor. If any one of those four get a long-term injury, suspension or a huge form dip, then having that depth is very helpful. A few clubs have been talking up bigger forward lines, so we’ll see how that unfolds.
If those four are fit and in ripping form then you might have a selection issue, but you can probably rotate players a little bit and it’s not the worst issue to have. If for some reason Tabs was playing well but still not getting a regular game, then at 25 and still with two years left on his contract he becomes a reasonable trade piece. There are plenty of teams in Melbourne who would be interested in a KPP coming back to Victoria.
I think that’s a better outcome than letting his contract expire and running the risk of him walking to another club for little-to-nothing to show for a lot of development time, or if he has a great season inflating his value. He was in pretty good form to start last year, and obviously they have taken a look at him again this pre-season and felt pretty positively.
I also like that Tabs was willing to commit to Freo. He hasn’t been an automatic selection, some other options have been recruited, and he’s still willing to be tied to the club for a while longer. Some might view that sort of thing as a positive.
