Cork are through to an All-Ireland hurling semi-final showdown with Kilkenny after a comfortable win over Antrim at Croke Park.
Played in front of a small crowd, the atmosphere was funereal throughout, with the first real nail in Antrim's coffin coming on the stroke of half-time when Niall McCarthy swatted home a goal from a tight angle at close range.
Before the crucial goal in the 35th minute, Antrim were trailing by a mere three points at 0-14 to 0-11, after a fine scoring display from full-forward Liam Watson who shot 0-4 from play to keep his team in touch. Watson should earlier have been sent off for striking Cork full-back Eoin Cadogan but only received a yellow. He'd eventually see red late in the game after a petulant flare-up with John Gardiner though.
Immediately after the goal, Ben O'Connor tapped over two frees and from a position where they were well placed to challenge, Antrim found themselves in the dressing room with a 1-16 to 0-11 gap to bridge in the second half.
It would prove a bridge too far after the resumption, even if the northern side did show huge character to keep taking the game to the rebels right to the finish. Frees from the unerring Neil McManus, and further scores from play by Watson and centre-back Johnny Campbell, kept the scoreboard ticking but Cork were doing likewise all the time at the other end, John Gardiner, Ben O'Connor and Kieran Murphy ensuring that Antrim were kept at arm's length.
Watson's sending off, after ripping off Gardiner's helmet in a tussle and kicking it away, ended the match on a sour note from Antrim but they can still take encouragement from the 1-25 to 0-19 defeat overall.
Cork, meanwhile, are now quietly into the semi-final where they will relish the prospect of thwarting Kilkenny's five-in-a-row aspirations.