"I just drove past Central Coast Stadium and it was surreal, driving by, thinking I'll never play on it again," Hutchinson said.
"It was a bit weird. I'm excited about the future, beyond playing but I'm nervous about the end of my playing career. You never want it to end.
"I'm emotional and excited. After last weekend's game against Wellington I was feeling a bit emotional about it coming to an end, one more game.
"I've played football for as long as I can remember, after my dad dragged me down to soccer when I was a kid. I've been a professional for 19 years, so it's pretty much all I know.
"I am excited about the future in coaching but you never want this part of it to end. You never want to stop playing.
"But it's time to step aside and let the young ones take over."
Hutchinson's home farewell came in round 25 and was suitably marked by a win over Western Sydney Wanderers. Last weekend's game against Phoenix was in Wellington, when the Mariners couldn't hold on and a 2-0 lead turned into a 3-2 loss.
The final farewell comes against championship favourite Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday - back in the state where Hutchinson was born and in front of family and lifelong friends. It is going to be quite an experience.
"It's a massive game," Hutchinson said.
"Kevin Muscat has done a wonderful job with Victory. Their front four are sometimes uncontrollable. If you control three of them, then the other one takes over.
"Last time we mostly controlled them and then Gui Finkler popped in with two unbelievable goals.
"Going back home to where I was born to play my last game, with my mum and dad and friends watching, it's going to be emotional.
"I'm looking forward to it and hopefully the boys are up for it and we can put in a good performance."
Hutchinson, 35, is a 10-year A-League player who will finish his career with 228 games, but his history in the top echelon of football in this country goes back much further than that.
He made his debut in the National Soccer League when he was barely 17, for Morwell Falcons in 1997. From there he went on to Northern Spirit, Manly United in the NSW Premier League during the national competition's hiatus and finally Central Coast when the A-League was formed.
He captained the Mariners to the championship in the 2012-2013 season, briefly played in China on loan and represented Malta 11 times after coming close to Socceroos representation in 2008 - when he was called into a training squad but wasn't selected for an official game.
It's been one hell of a ride.
"I remember when 'Arnie' (Graham Arnold) was coaching here, he told me to never sit back and reflect on what I'd done until it was over," Hutchinson said. "I've had that advice a few times since, as well, and it's good advice.
"You list those achievements like that and I am proud of what I've achieved. You always want to achieve more and play in Europe and play for the Socceroos but I'm proud of what I've done.
"When I do finish, I'll sit back with family and friends and reflect for a short time but then you've got to move on because if you keep reflecting about your football career and what it was you'll never go forward as a coach."
Hutchinson will join the Mariners coaching staff next season, in a yet-to-be-defined role. He said he had learned an enormous amount from his coaches at the club - Arnold, Lawrie McKinna before him, Phil Moss, and, in the closing stages, Tony Walmsley.
"Lawrie was the only man who could have done what he did for the Mariners at the start," Hutchinson said.
"We had no training fields, we were starting from scratch but he brought a rugby league community into football.
"It was a hard path for the club. We didn't have the massive budgets other clubs had.
"Then Arnie took over and what he did here will always be regarded as amazing. League winner, grand final winner, playing in the ACL - all as the smallest club in the competition.
"Arnie's the best coach I've had in my whole career. He's nice when he wants to be and hard when he has to be. He knows what he wants and he gets it from the players.
"He's doing wonders with Sydney now - chance to finish top two and 50 points if they win this weekend.
"Mossy was good as well. It was a tough job, taking over a championship-winning team from the best coach in the A-League, that's really hard to do.
"We lost a lot of players to overseas clubs. The players feel sorry for him because we were a part of the reason he lost his job, because of results but I'm sure he'll stay a part of football somewhere.
"And now we've got Tony going forward. I've learned from all of my coaches."
Missing out on a Socceroos cap remains a disappointment but the Malta experience was nevertheless great.
"Every kid who plays football in Australia dreams of playing for the Socceroos," Hutchinson said.
"I was grateful for the opportunity to go into the camp alongside some very good players and play in a training match. It was disappointing to not go any further than that but I can't change things.
"I have Maltese ancestry and it was an opportunity to play international football. I know it's not a powerhouse nation but we got to play against some of the biggest teams and best players in the world. It was a great opportunity.
"Would I turn it all around for one cap for the Socceroos? Yeah, I probably would, you know, Australian-born and all that.
"But I'm still proud of where my grandparents came from in Malta and my heritage. It was a proud moment and seeing how much it meant to my nan meant a lot to me."
Hutchinson believes tough midfielder Nick Montgomery would make a great next captain of the Mariners.
"I think Nick's an obvious choice," he said. "He's a leader on and off the park.
"He's a good pro from England, the boys respect him and he's the most hardworking player.
"It's up to Tony now, but I think most of the boys would say 'Monty' is the obvious one."
Hutchinson and his wife, Kate, have two children - son Kai, five, and 16-month-old daughter Mahli - and have built a life on the Central Coast.
He has seen many of his former team-mates leave to further their careers overseas but said a part of the club always goes with them.
"All of the players are the same," he said. "They have great reputations and a big part of the reason is they learned how to conduct themselves as footballers and people at the Mariners.
"It's a great club. Once a Mariner, always a Mariner."
