- Vision showed the player using the device in the hangars
- There are strict AFL rules around the use of mobile phones
- However, the Magpies player had a pretty good reason for using the device
A Collingwood star has been spotted in the dressing rooms with a mobile phone by observant fans, but he is unlikely to face any punishment for this despite clearly breaching AFL rules.
Players from the Magpies and Melbourne Demons were taken to the sheds nine minutes before the end of their match on Friday night after a lightning strike near the MCG.
While in the shed for the mandatory 20-minute break in the match, McCreery was filmed by a Collingwood employee operating a mobile device.
That led some fans to wonder if he was angry because using mobile phones in the sheds is against AFL rules.
“Will Beau get in trouble for using his phone?” one fan asked.
“Definitely not allowed to access the phone until the end of the game. Probably shouldn’t have used that footage,” posted another.
“I thought all phones were put away until after the game… interesting,” added another.
But Collingwood fans can rest assured, because not only did McCreery not make the call, it wasn’t even a phone.
Although the side of the image made it appear as if McCreery was busy texting or posting on social media, he was actually using a tablet.
The device was used to control the music in the hangars to entertain the players while they waited to return to action.
Collingwood fans feared McCreery would get into trouble for using this mobile device
He used the tablet to control the music in the hangars after the players were taken off the field due to a lightning strike
The last time a mobile phone was a problem in the changing rooms was the last time the AFL saw a lightning strike, when Geelong’s Tom Hawkins was seen looking at a mobile device in the changing rooms while players waited.
The club reported that he was given the phone by an unauthorised member of staff to check the weather and was given a warning by the AFL.
In 2021, Collingwood was fined $20,000 when players Jordan De Goey and Jeremy Howe were caught on camera using their phones during a clash with West Coast, after both suffered injuries that ruled them out of the season.
According to the Magpies, the players have called their families to let them know they are doing well despite the serious injuries.
The club admitted it had failed in its duty to store phones, leading to the fine.
This isn’t the first time McCreery has come under fire for using a phone.
He was also slammed on social media after the 2023 grand final victory over the Brisbane Lions for ignoring an Auskick kid and instead making a “call me” gesture to the crowd.
McCreery has previously been criticised for this telephone gesture after the grand final
As the players walked across the stage to receive their championship medals, an Auskick player presented them with their award, and the players then placed a hat on their heads and shook hands.
McCreery, however, left the young player assigned to him in suspense. He turned away from the young player and made a telephone shape with his hand, pointing it at the television cameras and the crowd.
His antics were not appreciated by the rest of the crowd and boos rang out across the MCG.
Viewers at home were also not happy with the rejection and many negative reactions to the Collingwood defender appeared on social media.
“Beau hung the little kid out to dry. Gave him donuts. There’s always one,” one supporter fumed.
Another posted: ‘Beau McCreery was [clearly] He was thinking more about performing his “call me” trick than shaking the child’s hand.
A third football fan spoke for many when he posted: ‘Beau would definitely want that moment back.’