In 2008 Lillyman was forced to leave the North Queensland Cowboys due to salary-cap pressures, and that year there ended abruptly for him when he suffered a season-ending injury in Round 15, playing against the Melbourne Storm.
ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪt lˈɪlɪmən wʌz fˈoːɹst tə lˈiːv ðə nˈɔːɹθ kwˈiːnslənd kˈaʊbɔɪz dˈuː tə sˈælɚɹikˈæp pɹˈɛʃɚz, ænd ðæt jˈɪɹ ðɛɹ ˈɛndᵻd ɐbɹˈʌptli fɔːɹ hˌɪm wɛn hiː sˈʌfɚd ɐ sˈiːzənˈɛndɪŋ ˈɪndʒɚɹi ɪn ɹˈaʊnd fˈɪftiːn, plˈeɪɪŋ ɐɡˈɛnst ðə mˈɛlbɚn stˈoːɹm.