The Rebels were expected to progress and they showed no mercy in building up a 4-11 to 0-4 half-time lead before closing out a 20-point victory.
Captain Hugh O’Connor finished with 2-2 while there was a goal apiece for inside forwards Ross Corkery, Ed Myers, and Dara Sheedy.
Cork made six changes from their loss to the Kingdom, including a debut for former Cork City goalkeeper Aaron Mannix.
It took the hosts just 20 seconds to take the lead, Sam Copps with the point, and their first goal arrived in the ninth minute. Corkery’s handpass drifted across the square and O’Connor was in the right place to palm in to make it 1-4 to no score.
Seán McMahon got Clare on the scoreboard but the Rebels hit back with another goal; O’Connor’s long delivery collected by Corkery who smartly rounded the keeper.
They kept motoring with a terrific point from Sheedy, after a pair of Dan Twomey blockdowns, before the corner-back came up for one of his own.
Cian Corry denied Jack O’Neill a goal and Clare countered for a sublime outside-of-the-boot score by Aaron Kelly.
But Cork finished with 2-1 in the space of three minutes. First, Sheedy’s long ball was rocketed to the roof of the net by Myers. Then, Rory O’Shaughnessy won a throw ball after a Clare kick-out didn’t travel outside the ‘D’ and O’Connor applied the maximum punishment. The difference was 19 points at half-time.
Clare almost struck for a couple of goals but Mannix tipped over Luke Pyne’s punched effort and saved from Tom Curran. In between, Twomey got back to block Daire Culligan from close range.
Cork had the greater cutting edge and when they got their chance, Sheedy found the bottom corner from Gearóid Kearney’s pass. He later had a goal ruled out for a foul on Corry, who then saved from Corkery.
Scorers – Cork: H O’Connor 2-2 (0-2f); E Myers 1-4 (0-1m); R Corkery 1-3 (0-1f); D Sheedy 1-2; M McSweeney 0-2; D Twomey, G Daly, S Copps, R O’Shaughnessy, J O’Neill 0-1 each. Clare: D Keane 0-5 (4f, 1m); S McMahon, D Culligan (2f) 0-2 each; A Kelly, L Pyne, M Kelly, T Curran 0-1 each.
Cork: A Mannix; M Óg O’Sullivan, C Molloy, D Twomey; G Daly, D Buckley, S Copps; R O’Shaughnessy, M McSweeney; D O’Brien, H O’Connor, J O’Neill; R Corkery, E Myers, D Sheedy. Subs: T Kiely for Buckley (h-t), G Kearney for O’Connor (40), A O’Sullivan for O’Brien (42), F Leahy for M Óg O’Sullivan (47), D Clifford for O’Shaughnessy (53).
Clare: C Corry; A Kelly, S McAllister, C Kearney; M Kelly, O Cunningham, L Pyne; J Vaughan, É Rouine; P O’Dwyer, S McMahon, D Keane; D Culligan, S Neylon, C Fennell. Subs: C O’Donovan for O’Dwyer (24), T Curran for Fennell (36), C Meaney for Pyne (50), O McNamara for Kearney (50), E Cahill for Neylon (50).
Referee: J Hayes (Limerick).
