Gallen 'shocked' after harmless ScoMo photo backfires

Paul Gallen has admitted he was "shocked" by the online reaction to a photo with Scott Morrison, claiming he blocked a number of people for their comments.

The former Sharks captain was spotted having lunch at Sealevel restaurant with the ex-Prime Minister over the weekend and uploaded a photo to Instagram, but was unaware of some of the widespread disdain for the politician.

Speaking on Nine's 100% Footy, Gallen revealed the impact of his harmless social media post and the "crazy" antics that followed.

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"I'll tell you what, I put it up on my social media and there's a lot of people that don't like ScoMo - I was shocked," he said.

"It was ridiculous, I blocked a million people … it was crazy. 

"It was nice to be with ScoMo, we had a good day."

Morrison is a long-time Cronulla fan and was the club's number-one ticket holder until last week, when it was revealed he had given up the tag following his retirement from politics and desire to step away from the limelight.

However, his outing with Gallen has placed the eyes of the rugby league world back onto Morrison, as well as the Sharks legend. 

Cronulla has started its NRL campaign with two-straight wins over the Warriors and Bulldogs, with star halfback Nicho Hynes sitting atop the Dally M Medal leaderboard.