Matty Peet on the boost of welcoming back old hand for Wigan Warriors' visit of Castleford Tigers

The 35-year-old has stepped in for the injured Willie Isa after recovering from a knee injury sustained in the World Club Challenge victory over Penrith back in February.

Cooper was only just back after sustaining a serious knee injury at Easter last year, which caused him to miss the majority of the campaign.

But coach Peet says it's great to be able to bring back such an experienced hand, with Junior Nsemba expected to step into the starting line-up to replace Isa.

"That was the obvious move...Junior moves into the team and Mike takes his spot on the bench," said Peet.

"It's great for Coops, he's been working very hard behind the scenes.

"He worked fantastically hard to get himself ready for Penrith, and I'm gutted for him that he got injured.

"But I'll never forget what he did that night, he played a big part for us and I'm looking forward to seeing him back out there.

Wigan are hoping for a repeat of their comfortable win at Castleford last weekend in the Challenge Cup.

It'll be the third meeting of the two sides already in 2024, but Peet doesn't feel two wins on the board gives Wigan an automatic advantage for the next one.

"Our focus this week is very simple...the things we did well last week, we want to replicate and build on," he said.

"And there's things we learned from last week that can help us be even better.

"Although in the end it was a comfortable victory, there were elements - certainly in defence - where we can be even stronger.

"We're always looking to develop as a team, and we know Castleford will want to be better this week, and we have to do the same."

Wigan squad: Jai Field, Abbas Miski, Adam Keighran, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall, Bevan French, Harry Smith, Brad O'Neill, Liam Farrell, Kaide Ellis, Mike Cooper, Patrick Mago, Luke Thompson, Kruise Leeming, Tyler Dupree, Harvie Hill, Junior Nsemba, Ryan Hampshire, Tiaki Chan, Zach Eckersley, Jacob Douglas.