After three years as coach of Charles Sturt University - or, more accurately, two years plus 2020 (which doesn't deserve to be counted as a year, but that's a story for another day) - Noonan is stepping away from the Bushpigs, and the game.

"I'm moving on. And not playing. I think I've had, not enough but I think I'm content with my football time in the Riverina," Noonan said.

"Coaching wise, I think it's just probably time for me to focus on my career and other things in my life. And maybe having that time off on weekends to go and do things that I've wanted to do for 20-odd years."

Strangely, Noonan's football career ended with a mid-year practice match against Turvey Park.

A pre-season game in July that had strangely shifted to a post-season party, and then became a send-off.

"Last year I was pretty content with coaching at the start. But I made that decision to come back into the team, with Waydo (Archibald) and a fair few of the guys there, that reinvigorated my love of the game which was really good," Noonan said.

"Even this year, everyone was really positive, it was a really good vibe and I was really excited about playing this year. Finishing off that game at Turvey Park, it was bittersweet - it was really good playing with those guys but that was it."

Noonan lapped it up, playing all six quarters before confirming to players that his time had come.

Appointed for the 2018 season, primarily as a non-playing coach, Noonan made his mark by taking the Bushpigs back to finals for the first time in seven years.

That highlight was also frustrating when disappointment followed in the elimination final as CSU fell short of producing their best on a winnable occasion.

More mixed emotions were to come. The buzz of finals had convinced Noonan to re-sign and get serious about playing again, only to suffer a bad ankle dislocation in late 2018.

"You saw what happened to my ankle playing Nines - and there's no contact in Nines and that happened," he said.

"If you're going to get injured you're going to get injured, you can't worry about that. But my ankle now, I'm struggling just trying to train to be fit and healthy. It's still hindering me now... I don't want to get to a stage in life where I'm 50 and I can't run around."

The Busphigs were slow to start last year but only just missed finals after a loss in the last round of 2019.

Noonan said when he re-signed for 2020 he had it in his head that this would be his last year. Even with the non-event this year became, there was no changing his mind. But that's not to say he won't miss the game enormously.

"There is that aspect but I think I'm going to be like that for the next few years," he said.

"Anyone who walks away or stops playing and stops being a part of something that was for so long in your life, you're always going to feel a space missing in your life.

"But I think you've just got to get used to that. I'm 32. I'd love to be running around forever but I've had numerous major injuries and my body's screaming at me to to stop in that contact sense."