Early in the 1973 Grand Final against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (playing their first Grand Final), a team which was captain-coached by Reilly's former Great Britain team mate Tommy Bishop, and also included former Lions prop Cliff Watson, Reilly was felled late by Sharks hooker Ron "Rocky" Turner after putting in a mid-field chip kick (Turner had already targeted him once and just missed him only a minute into the game). Clearly hobbled with a badly bruised hip, Reilly went off for pain killing injections.
During the 1973 Grand Final against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (playing their first Grand Final), Reilly was injured late in the game when he was tackled by Sharks hooker Ron "Rocky" Turner after a chip kick.  Turner had already missed him on an earlier attempt.