2009 season:
Reilly had an indifferent start to 2009 with some solid performances in the first half of the season but he found himself out of the side after round nine. He put in some dominant performances in the SANFL for Sturt and regained his place in round 12 only to injure his hamstring. He returned in round 15 and found some of his career best form. Reilly received the maximum votes from the umpires in the round 17 Showdown with 32 possessions and nine marks. He followed that up with 29 possessions and a goal in the narrow round 18 loss to Geelong. Before his purple patch of form Reilly became frustrated with his football and a negative build up of thoughts affected his form. “Going back to Sturt was a good kick in the bum for me,” Reilly said. “I was getting myself tied in a knot. I just worried about too much and I had too many things going on in my mind. I wasn’t concentrating on the things that make me play better, and it was just a big build-up of negative thoughts in my mind. It spilled over to the game, and I wasn’t performing. I needed to become a bit more relaxed around the club and not stress out so much. I think I’ve let myself play my natural game, and it’s been working." Reilly had 212 kicks and 183 handballs in 2009 and took 88 marks.

David Noble’s 2009 review:
“Radar had a really clear focus on contested ball this year and he really improved in that area. He was willing to test himself and was hungry to get back into our finals side after missing out last year. It was a testament that he was able to add that contested focus to his game without losing the other elements. People underestimate his use of the ball and he’s a really important ingredient for us.”

Career:
Reilly, from the Calder Cannons, was a first round draft pick in the 2001 national draft. He played only one game in 2002 and six in 2003 but played 14 games in 2004 and received a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination. He consolidated a regular spot in 2005 under Neil Craig and played every game but injured his hamstring in the qualifying final and missed the rest of Adelaide’s finals campaign. He completed a whole season in 2006 and remained injury free, but was again struck down by an ankle injury early in 2007 and played only 17 games. After a 21 possession first half to start season 2008, Reilly suffered a bad run of injuries that interrupted his season. The midfielder suffered a broken arm in round one and was sidelined for six weeks. He returned to the line up mid-season only to hyper-extend his knee and managed a total of just eight AFL appearances.