The AFL has issued Geelong with an official warning after Tom Hawkins was caught looking at a phone during the break in play of the Cats’ win over Hawthorn on Easter Monday.
Players were sent back to their changerooms by the umpires when lightning struck near the MCG just as the fourth quarter was about to begin.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Tom Hawkins speaks after phone incident.
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Under strict AFL rules, players are not permitted to have their phones during the game and in breaks.
However, there are some staff who are authorised to have certain phones in the changerooms.
Moments after the Cats players got back into their rooms, Hawkins — who was celebrating his 350th game — was given a phone by Geelong player development officer Mark Worthington.
The club explained to the AFL that Worthington was an authorised device user and was showing Hawkins the weather radar.
“While the interaction was unintentional, it serves as an important reminder to all clubs that mobile phone usage is restricted to only authorised device users during the duration of a match,” the AFL said in a statement.
“The club has today received an official warning.”
Speaking to 7NEWS after the match, Hawkins clarified the confusion.
“Our player development manager, I asked him about the radar,” he said.
“I wanted to get a look on what was coming our way — it certainly wasn’t my phone.”
In 2021, Collingwood were fined $20,000 for a similar incident involving Magpies players Jordan De Goey and Jeremy Howe, but they were both using their own phones.
