The Hawks' and Cats' Easter Monday clash was delayed because of severe weather around the MCG before Geelong ran away 36-point victors.
Just as the final term was set to commence, with the Cats leading by 36 points, the umpires announced that the game would be delayed due to lightning and that the teams should return to their changerooms.
Under the league's extreme weather policy, a match can be delayed up to an hour before the AFL must decide whether a game can be resumed.
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The match restarted after a 40-minute break with the surrounding lightning clearing up.
The players were afforded an eight-minute warm-up out on the ground in preparation before the third term was started.
No lightning was spotted at the MCG during the delay but lightning was detected by the Bureau of Meteorology within 10km of the stadium, triggering the pause.
Rain continued to soak the 'G but the Cats emerged with a 10.10 (70) to 17.4 (106) win.
In his 350th game, premiership forward Tom Hawkins finished his milestone match with four goals and 12 disposals..
However, the celebrations could be disrupted with 9News' chief football reporter Tom Morris reporting that the AFL is investigating footage of Hawkins looking at a phone during the delay.
https://twitter.com/tommorris32/status/1774700641379877144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
"While it appears entirely innocent, so was Jordan De Goey & Jeremy Howe's similar action in 2021," Morris wrote on X.
"On that occasion, Collingwood was fined $20,000. The league took a hardline stance for integrity reasons."
With the win, Geelong start the season 3-0 while Hawthorn slump to a 0-3 record.
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