Geelong has received an official warning from the AFL after cameras caught forward Tom Hawkins using a mobile phone in the dressing rooms during the match against Hawthorn on Monday – in breach of strict integrity rules.

The club and player – who was playing in his 350th match – avoided further sanction because the use was “unintentional”, according to the AFL, as Hawkins had been handed the phone by an authorised staff member to look at 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,” an AFL statement read.

The incident occurred during a lightning break in the round three clash at the MCG, won by the Cats 17. 4 (106) to 10.1o (70).

The players were called from the ground for more than 40 minutes just before the start of the final quarter as a storm passed over Melbourne.

The exchange was caught on the broadcast, prompting a frenzy of interest on social media.

“So our player development manager – I asked him about the radar and wanted to get a look at what was coming our way,” Hawkins told Channel 7 after the match.

The AFL’s rules around mobile phones bar players from using phones immediately before and during matches, to address possible integrity issues such as match fixing.

Each club must identify 10 authorised users, in addition to four media staff, who can keep their phones on them during matches. Clubs must ensure other staff and players lock their devices in a case.

The AFL said the Cats had complied with the rules apart from the Hawkins incident.

Collingwood were fined $20,000 when its players Jordan De Goey and Jeremy Howe were seen by cameras using their phones during a 2021 clash with West Coast.

The pair suffered match-ending injuries early in the contest. They were found by the AFL to have told their families the severity of their injuries.

The club paid the fine as it was determined officials neglected to lock the box housing the players’ devices.