Bozza, I'm not saying he isn't good, but to evaluate how good he is you need to weigh some exceptional parts of his game against the problems caused by the bad parts of his game. I think he's a net positive for sure, but I think there are some downsides too.
Ok, take someone like Kennedy for the other mob. He's great on the lead, a decent pack mark, a very good set shot (now) ok below his knees, is pretty clutch, has decent aerobic capacity and puts on elite defensive pressure. There isn't really anything he takes off the table. Pav was very similar, albeit his defensive pressure was terrible, but he had the added bonus of being able to play anywhere. Hogan is a forward who adds a lot to the table, and doesn't take much off.
Tabs has been a clanger-merchant for years. It's a part of who he is as a player. He's got good enough at the other parts it probably doesn't matter.
But as far as the comparison to Jesse goes, Jesse is still a better all around player, and being two years younger means I think he's always going to have Tabs shaded. Still, it's good argument to have.
I feel a bit bad for Cox though. He looked great in pre-season, and with Tabs in good form and Hogan rounding into shape, i think it's between him and CamMac for a spot, and I think for balance CamMac might just be shading him.