FORWARD Mike Cooper says coming home to Warrington ahead of the Four Nations and his return to Wolves “feels like he never left.”

It was announced in June that the 28-year-old would re-join The Wire for the 2017 season, three years after he left the club for a stint in Australia’s NRL.

He played 65 times for St George Illawarra Dragons during his stint Down Under as well as winning his first three England caps in last year’s series victory over New Zealand.

However, he says he is happy to be back in the town he calls home.

“I only got back on Monday morning but immediately, my family felt at home again,” he said.

“It was a long journey, as you can imagine with a one-year-old son. The jet lag might take a while to get over but it feels like I never left.

“We join up for the England camp next week so I’m looking forward to spending some time in the area before heading down there.

“Before this, the last time I was back in Warrington was this time last year when I was gearing up for New Zealand.

“It planted the seed of me wanting to come back, it’s been a big move but we’ve tried to enjoy our last few months in Australia.”

Cooper will bolster a Wolves front row that already contains the likes of Chris Hill and Ashton Sims next season as they look to bounce back from losing both major finals.

Before that, however, the former Latchford Albion junior will look to help new England head coach Wayne Bennett get his tenure off to the best possible start in the Ladbrokes Four Nations, which gets underway on October 28.

Cooper believes his England selection tops off a good final year with the Dragons and that Bennett’s side have a good chance of winning the tournament.

He also says he is looking forward to an early link-up with new Wolves teammate Hill.

“I’m pretty happy with the way I’ve played although we didn’t really perform well as a team,” he said.

“It’s been a strange year with the Warrington announcement and it’s been hard to keep it out of my mind, I’ve been gearing up for the move all year.

“Getting picked for England is a superb achievement when you look at the talent we’ve got in our pack.

“I’ve been trying not to think about England throughout the year but knowing I’ve been picked makes me extremely proud.

“We’ve got great momentum after the Test series win last year and I believe we’ve got a really good chance to win the Four Nations.

“Chris has been going great this year and I can’t wait to play with him again. He’s a quality prop and can cause some real damage in this tournament.”

Cooper has been watching his future teammates from afar this year but admits he did not see Saturday’s Grand Final defeat to Wigan.

Despite that, he feels the Wolves squad is destined for silverware.

“I couldn’t get in front of a TV to watch the final as we were at the airport waiting to fly home while it was on,” he said.

“Games are on at a funny time in Australia but I’ve watched as many as I can.

“Warrington are a team with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of youth. They did remarkably to reach two finals.

“It is disappointing to lose them both but this club will win things.”