<notforsyndication>Read Ed Leahy's matchtracker on the game here.</notforsyndication>
Cork answered many of the questions posed over their right to be considered as genuine All-Ireland contenders with a quarter-final mauling of Donegal at Croke Park.
But such was the quality of the opposition from the north-west, that no definitive conclusions can yet be safely drawn over the readiness of the Rebels to push for Sam.
The Rebels had 10 different players on the scoresheet against a Tir Chonaill side that never threatened to cause an upset.
No-one can ever guess what unpredictable Donegal will bring to the table. Following an Ulster Championship defeat to Antrim, they bounced back with wins over Derry and Galway, and now faced a Cork side that had struggled to better Limerick in the Munster decider.
But on the freshly laid turf of Croker, it was Conor Counihan’s men who prospered, and they clinically dismantled a Donegal challenge that was sadly lacking in adventure
Michael Murphy converted an early Donegal free, but once Cork quelled the early dominance of midfielders Brendan Boyle and Kevin Cassidy, things began to happen for them.
Donncha O’Connor converted a couple of frees, and wing back John Miskella strode forward for the first of his three first half points.
But the Rebels were only warming up at this stage. By the end of the opening quarter they held a modest 0-04 to 0-02 lead.
However, their lines of running, the quality of their support play and sheer power soon had the Ulster men in disarray.
Already, the warnings had been flagged up. Colm O’Neill had blasted a glorious goal chance wide and Daniel Goulding had banged one into the side netting.
Cork won the second quarter by nine points to one, repeatedly slicing open the opposition defence with alarming ease.
Many of their points were scored virtually unopposed. Amazingly, danger man Daniel Goulding was the only Rebel attacker who failed to score, but his colleagues found the target at will, with Patrick Kelly, Paul Kerrigan, O’Neill and Donnacha O’Connor hitting two each.
Cork led by 0-13 to 0-03 at the break, and turned the knife with a 43rd minuet goal, a classic counter-attack move which saw Kelly release Kerrigan for a deadly finish to the far top corner of Michael Boyle’s net
Rory Kavanagh’s 54th minute goal came more as a consolation to a lifeline to a Donegal side that had already fallen 14 points adrift.
Cork points continued to sail between the posts at a deserted Hill 16 end. Daniel Goulding, expertly marshalled by Karl Lacey, finally got his first score of the afternoon on 55 minutes, and substitute Paudie Kissame became the tenth Cork player to register.
Donegal plundered a second goal through substitute Stephen Griffin, but the Cork machine had already done its job, and was by that stage winding down in preparation for the next big challenge.
Cork: A Quirke, R Carey, M Shields, K O’Connor, N O'Leary, G Canty (0-01), J Miskella (0-04), A O'Connor, N Murphy, P Kerrigan (1-4), P O'Neill (0-02), P Kelly (0-02), D Goulding (0-03), C O’Neill (0-02), D O'Connor (0-04, 3f).
Substitute: F Goold (0-3) for O’Connor (44), F Lynch for O’Neill (50), M Cussen for Murphy (53), P Kissane (0-02) for Miskella (56), J Hayes for Kerrigan (61)
Donegal: M Boyle, F McGlynn, N McGee, K Lacey, B Dunnion, B Monaghan (0-01), E McGee (0-01), B Boyle, K Cassidy, R Kavanagh (1-00), B Roper (0-01), L McLoone, C Dunne, M Murphy (0-06, 3f), C McFadden.
Substitute: D Walsh for McLoone (h-t), S Griffin (1-00) for Roper (h-t), D Gallagher for Boyle (48), A Hanlon (0-01) for Dunne (50), E Wade for E Magee (56)
