The cheeky photo posted by Damien Hardwick that left Richmond fans furious as they prepare to take on the Gold Coast Suns.

New Gold Coast Suns coach Damien Hardwick posted a racy image on social media ahead of their first round clash against his old team Richmond, and not all Tigers fans are happy about it.

The Suns, seeking an elusive first finals appearance, begin a new era on Saturday when they host Richmond at their newly renamed People First Stadium.

In a sell-out clash, Hardwick will begin his long-awaited spell up north against the club he left after almost 14 seasons midway through last year.

And before the crash, Hardwick posted a picture of his kids and his golden retriever Hank, all decked out in Suns merchandise.

Hardwick captioned the image “Families ready to go” and tagged the Suns for good measure.

This angered Tigers fans, after Hardwick resigned from his coaching position mid-season in 2023 before joining the Gold Coast club.

“She looked better in Dimma yellow and black,” one fan posted with a laughing emoji.

“I wish you the worst, friend,” another fumed.

“This is not all,” added another.

Many took the photo as an opportunity to take shots at the Suns, who are yet to reach an AFL finals series.

‘Did you have anything left in the team store after this?’ one joked.

“Literally all the merchandise they sold is in this photo,” another added.

But other fans were more gracious and wished their former mentor good luck after he gave the Tigers three premierships in a dream career.

‘After delivering the first Tiges flag in my life, I hope you can deliver the first Suns flag in your life. Good luck Dimma,” one fan posted.

Gold Coast winger Brandon Ellis admits there will be “ups and downs” as the Suns learn Hardwick’s game plan.

Gold Coast were unconvincing in their pre-season knocks, leading many to wonder if they will endure a slow start to life under Hardwick.

But against the Tigers, who are missing superstar Dustin Martin, key forward Tom Lynch and captain Toby Nankervis, the Suns come into the game as heavy favorites.

Ellis won two premierships under Hardwick before heading to the Gold Coast for the 2020 season.

“All the guys, except me, I guess, are trying to learn a new game plan,” the 30-year-old told reporters on Friday.

‘It’s going to take time. We are going to have our ups and downs.

“But like (Hardwick) said, it’s a long season, kind of a marathon.

“But hopefully the guys can learn pretty quickly and we can start to see some success and then continue into September.”