The plan was perfectly thought out and executed. We had an early lunch with our current wives and the children and handed them a few euro to spend at the pool bar should their thirst levels increase.
Then, in a state of total euphoria, the men slipped off towards our own idea of paradise – an air-conditioned bar, a male-only sanctity where no sun cream was required and the fridge was stocked with cool beer.
It was the best you could ever hope for from Ulster final day on foreign soil.
There is no doubt the GAA means even more when you are away from home as, every Sunday during holiday season in resorts across the globe, red-faced, freckled Irishmen covered in aftersun appear from all parts to worship at the altar of our games.
I have to admit I was slightly disappointed to see Clones bathed in sunshine because I take a perverse pleasure in knowing it is bucketing down at home while I’m luxuriating in the Portuguese climate, even if the heat is somewhat overwhelming at times.
‘Er Indoors is a sun worshipper, however, and it’s good to see her smile once in a while, even if it is only ever going to be short-lived.
We settled down to watch the match in eager anticipation, even though we’d already discussed the fact it was unlikely to be an expansive or particularly entertaining game.
That said, the rivalry between Tyrone and Donegal, the tactical nuances and the match-ups surely meant we would have plenty to discuss.
A lot of pundits these days incorrectly use the term ‘intriguing’ to describe a match that has failed to deliver on so many levels but remains in the balance until the latter stages.
Yet the Ulster final that I watched from a Portuguese bar stool was anything but intriguing.
Indeed, so poor was the fare on offer that, after 22 minutes of underwhelming action, someone asked the barman to switch over to the Open golf instead and nobody in attendance disagreed.
Golf has long been described as the most boring sport in the world to watch, so it gives you some idea of the excitement levels reached in the first half of the Ulster final that a room full of GAA-heads would rather take in the action from Troon.
I have since heard that two men and their young children, all Tyrone supporters, left St Tiernach’s Park at half-time because they couldn’t watch any more of what was on offer.
To be honest, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand up for our game when you witness such a pedestrian half of football, where the main factors were packed defences and a referee who detracted from the occasion by handing out two ridiculous black cards.
Thankfully, we turned over again for the last 20 minutes of the second half, which were much more watchable and at the end of which Tyrone deservedly got their hands on the Anglo-Celt Cup for the first time since 2010.
The Red Hands fully merited their victory because they were the team who chased the game and tried to deploy an adventurous gameplan and an attack-minded formation.
Sean Cavanagh once again stamped his indelible mark on proceedings, while Peter Harte’s audacious point with the outside of his boot give us a glimpse of how our game can, and should, be when played with the right mindset.
However, the fleeting moments of class were too few and far between to class this year’s Ulster final as anything close to a showpiece occasion.
Throughout the Ulster Championship, Tyrone were the team who played the best brand of football and they undoubtedly deserved to end their six-year drought.
Yet, what really sets them apart from their provincial rivals is the amount of players in their ranks who have the quality to change matches.
As Donegal prepare to navigate a route through the Qualifiers, I can’t help but be frustrated by them because their strict adherence to a gameplan, which admittedly has brought them huge success, is preventing them realising their full potential.
As soon as Tyrone got to grips with the marauding Ryan McHugh, Donegal’s scoring potential dissipated and they surrendered a four-point lead that could easily have been added to had they shown more inventiveness and pushing more men into their forward unit.
Michael Murphy’s influence on the Ulster final was minimal whilst their best scoring forward, Paddy McBrearty, was once again substituted after being left isolated, with little or no ball coming his way.
Rory Gallagher intimated this week that he still feels Donegal are a match for anyone, and I agree wholeheartedly with him and fully expect them to shake off their Ulster hangover and get the better of Cork.
However, they will need more innovation and creativity up front if they are to challenge for the big prize, the All-Ireland title.
I happened to read Jim McGuinness’s autobiography when I was on holiday and found it fascinating from both a football and personal perspective.
In one passage, he highlighted why he disagreed with playing Michael Murphy as an orthodox forward, saying that too many teams would cotton on to this approach and commit more men to nullify his obvious threat.
It’s obvious Rory Gallagher has the same opinion but, from the outside looking in, it’s clear to me that should other teams commit men to bottle up Murphy, there will be free men elsewhere, while if they don’t, McBrearty and Murphy could wreak havoc as a two-man inside-forward line, just as they did in 2012 when the gameplan was mixed up a bit.
