But 2020 hasn't been ideal for anyone. And, instead of trying to steer the club back to a grand final this winter, the assistant coach quietly slipped out of the club, the Farrer League and the state.

A move to the Gold Coast at the end of the year had always been the plan. But when the Farrer League was cancelled, just when it looked like it was about to start, "there was nothing really holding me back," Gardner said.

A big part of Marrar's back-to-back flags of 2017 and 2018, the midfielder-forward was itching to aim for another premiership.

"It was disappointing to finish the way we did, especially with my last game being getting beaten in the final and breaking my leg. That's pretty disappointing to finish at Marrar that way." he said, of the 2019 preliminary final loss to North Wagga.

"Then we thought we'd have a season up and going this year at some stage, and that was good. Then that got called off."

They even got a practice match in, upsetting Riverina League opposition, and the players couldn't have been more excited until the club elected not to pursue the AFL Riverina Championship.

"That's why it was so disappointing the season didn't go ahead because everyone wrote us off and we came out and beat Collingullie in that game," he said.

"Things were pretty promising, we had a good young list and recruited a couple of players where we thought we needed to so we were pretty happy with where we were headed for the year."

Gardner said "it was very hard to leave" Langtry Oval, where he spent a decade of his life, debuting in the 2011 season which culminated in disappointment when the Bombers lost the grand final to The Rock-Yerong Creek.

But he left an imprint on Marrar's history playing in two distinctly important victories later in the decade.

In 2017, it was a four-point thriller against Temora, after losing the second semi-final to the Kangaroos, and three players to injury.

"We knew we had depth at the club and we were all hungry for success because a lot of us had been there for a long time and hadn't got to experience that success in a grand final," he said.

"We also had the factor of losing Reidy (former teammate Graeme Reid) not that long before and that was a pretty big driving factor as well."

That drought-breaking flag for the club and the emotion around it meant the moment will never be forgotten.

To then defend the title in 2018, the club's 100^th year, was pure satisfaction.

"Both years, we had a really good side but the best thing about us was we were really selfless. We wanted to win as a team and no-one was going out to be the best individual performer or get those individual accolades, everyone had a team mentality to get the ultimate goal of a premiership," Gardner said.

Gardner said he learnt as an assistant coach to Matt Molkentin when Marrar returned to finals in 2016 and staying on in the role under Shane Lenon furthered his education.

"To watch and learn how he goes about footy and life, I was really lucky to be in that position," he said.

And he considers himself lucky to have seen some inspiring teammates at the Bombers.

"Playing with Josh Hagar, he's a fantastic leader and gave his everything to that club. He was really good to play alongside." he said.

"Jackson Moye (who succeeded Hagar as captain in 2019), he was great, you knew what he was going to give week in , week out. Then people like Clint Taylor down back who you could always rely on, and to play with gun forwards, like Brad Turner, just to watch them do their thing was great."

Gardner said he's watched one game on the Gold Coast, late in the season. He was impressed with the standard of football and will consider his playing plans for 2021 plans in the new year.