Liam Farrell told Mike Cooper that he would “fit right in” at Wigan Warriors before the prop made an immediate switch from Warrington Wolves last week.
Cooper, 33, has left Warrington after 14 years as a first-team player across two spells.
He had already signed up for Wigan from next season, on a one-year deal with option of another, but the Wolves wanted to offload him earlier and Wigan were more than happy to bring him straight to the DW Stadium.
Farrell knows well what Cooper can bring, having not only played against him many times over more than a decade, but played together as England team-mates too.
“We knew he was coming for next year so I spoke to him when we met up with England and told him he’d fit right in at the club, just because of the way he plays his game; he’s a workhorse, he’s aggressive,” said Farrell.
“To hear he’d be coming in now, I was very excited. I think he can only add to us.
“It’s competition in the middle but healthy competition. If you ask most clubs, you can never have too many middles.
“It’s probably the right time of the year for him to come in. Games are getting more intense, there’s a lot more riding on them, and for him to come into the squad and add a lot of experience is great for us.”
Wigan head coach Matt Peet said of Cooper’s arrival: “The fact we signed him for next year shows we rate him highly as a player and a bloke, but to get him now is a great boost.
“To bring in not just his off-the-field presence but what he can bring on the field is timely.”
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