0 
0 Damien Hardwick has officially out-Richmonded Richmond.
In his new colours, Hardwick brought his winning ways to the Gold Coast, recording a few milestones along the way.
His new side, the Gold Coast Suns, pulled off a stellar 39-point victory over his old side, the Tigers, in the club’s first hit-out as part of the AFL’s Opening Round on Saturday.
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The star coach abruptly left Tigerland in May last season, citing a “burnout” as his reason for stepping away.
Just months later, Hardwick took the top job up north with the Suns.
He got off to a perfect start to his new season in the red and yellow, hoping to skyrocket the Suns to a maiden finals appearance in 2024.
Hardwick will even be dreaming of that elusive premiership, considering he won three of them with Richmond during his coaching tenure and two as a player with Essendon and Port Adelaide.
He can certainly dream big, as the Suns recorded their biggest-ever first-half margin in the club’s history, leading by a whopping 61 points over Richmond at halftime, effectively ending the contest.
Gold Coast piled on 11 goals to two by half time, as new Tigers coach Adem Yze was left with no answers for the Suns’ surge.
Ben King starred with five majors, with Malcolm Rosas adding three goals to his name.
But, it was young midfielder Matt Rowell, who collected 33 disposals, who was the true enigma all afternoon at People First Stadium.
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Rowell picked up 20 clearances and etched his name early into Brownlow medal contention.
As for Hardwick’s impact, which Suns players have already lauded over the pre-season, Rowell says the side worked a little harder to overcome their coach’s former team.
“I reckon there might have been a little extra push for Dimma. It’s good to get one over them,” Rowell said on Fox Footy post-match.
It was the biggest crowd for a Gold Coast Suns game at their home ground, with Rowell lauding the crowd for their support.
“It was good to get off to a good start, boys played really well, really proud of them,” the 22-year-old said.
