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The AFL has strict rules in place around mobile phone use in what are considered “matchday no-go zones” to maintain the integrity of the sport.
Under Rule 30, the use of a mobile phone is prohibited during a match to protect against any exchange of information that could be used for betting purposes.
However, clubs can designate authorized personnel to contact family members of players in emergency situations.
The AFL's executive general manager of football, Laura Keane, said while it was appropriate that the Geelong employee had his phone on Easter Monday, the league “did not want to see mobile phones being used in this way”.
“I understand he was looking at the rain radar, which was quite objective, and it was a bit of a strange afternoon,” Keane told the league's website.
Keane said Hawkins' example was different from the Collingwood incident in 2021 when the Magpies were fined $20,000 after two players used mobile phones during a match.
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Jordan De Goey and Jeremy Howe suffered injuries at the end of the match and were seen using their own phones in the club's changing rooms to contact family members.
“The important thing to know in this case is that it was the mobile phone of the authorized user of the device,” Kane said.
“It was a weather stoppage, and the staff member and player were looking at the weather forecast…
“We are comfortable with the information provided by Geelong.”
Baker ban stands: Tiger out for one game
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Richmond suffered another blow ahead of the Gather Round, losing Liam Baker to a one-match ban after an AFL tribunal appeal failed.
The Tigers gave the court a lot to think about, as Chair Renee Enbom KC, Jason Johnson and David Nitze deliberated for 45 minutes on Tuesday night after the hour-long hearing.
But in the end the panel upheld Baker's ban for his loud bump on Sydney rival Lewis Millican on Sunday at the MCG.
Richmond are already without star player Tom Lynch (hamstring) and tall teammate Noah Balta (knee) for Sunday's match against St Kilda at Norwood Oval in Adelaide.
Lynch and Balta were injured in the Tigers' upset five-point win over the Pelicans.
The ruling makes Baker the latest player to be suspended under the AFL's crackdown on high bumps, with concerns about the long-term effects of concussion.
Baker will miss one game due to his high tackle on Sydney's Lewis Millican.
Liam Baker collides with Louis Millican.credit: Fox footy
In issuing the ruling, Enbom said the panel agreed with Baker that he was trying to foul the ball, but that was unrealistic and unreasonable.
“It was very late – Mr Millikan got his hands on the ball before Mr Becker used his right arm to score,” Enbom said.
She added that it was very strong contact and had a real potential to cause injury.
“Mr. Baker was moving quickly, propelling himself into the air… and it is clear from the vision that Mr. Millikan was affected by the contact,” Enbom said.
Baker, who was running with the ball, jumped into the air and aimed his body at Millikan in the second half of Sunday's game.
The Swans players immediately remonstrated with Baker over the incident, which was classified as negligent behaviour, medium impact and high contact.
Richmond tried to get rid of the proximate behavior charge and also argued that it should be classified as low-impact rather than moderate.
Millikan was not injured due to the strike, as the defender was able to execute the free kick, and the medical report for the Sans stated that he did not need any treatment.
“I was always trying to foul the ball… I never prepared for (the impact),” Baker testified.
Richmond attorney Sam Tovey said at the hearing that although there was contact with Millikan's head in the collision, it was accidental.
“If this was an attempted collision, it was very poor and ineffective,” Tovey said in his summary.
But AFL lawyer Andrew Woods argued that Baker's action was unreasonable in the circumstances and met the criteria for a bump.
“Baker's eyes were initially on the ball, but from several different angles his eyes fell on Millikan,” Woods said.
St Kilda have agreed to ban youngster Marcus Windhager for one match after he collided with Essendon's Sam Durham.
Swans Rampy out for a month due to injury
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Veteran Sydney defender Dane Rampe will miss next month of the AFL season with a hamstring injury.
The 33-year-old was replaced following the Swans' loss to Richmond on Sunday, with scans revealing a low-grade strain.
Rampe will be out for three or four weeks, but the Swans' squad has been boosted by the news that team-mate Harry Cunningham could return for Saturday's Gather Round clash against West Coast.
Cunningham was concussed in the round two incident, resulting in Essendon's Peter Wright being banned for four matches.
Port Adelaide will be without Brownlow Medalist Ollie Wines for Friday night's match against Essendon.
Waynes suffers from a hamstring injury, but his absence will be compensated by the return of fellow midfielder Jason Horn-Francis from a similar problem, who missed the past two matches.
Dan Rampe holds his hamstring.credit: AFL Images/Getty Images
Adelaide's Lachlan Murphy faces nearly five weeks out with a knee injury, joining teammate Wayne Melera on the bench.
Melera was ruled out on Monday for the rest of the season after rupturing the patellar tendon in his right knee during Adelaide's loss to Fremantle on Friday, when Murphy damaged a collateral ligament.
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