Munster SHC: Cork 1-30 Clare 1-14After the final whistle, one young Cork supporter breached the security cordon and scampered across the field, raising the loudest cheer since Cork’s goal, nearly an hour earlier. Though there were 42,269 people in the stadium, the atmosphere in the second half had been reduced to the hum of a hotel lobby. At some stage in the third quarter, the game died peacefully. Diarmuid Healy became the last Cork forward to score from play when he shot Cork’s 10th point of the second half to put them 16 points clear, 1-23 to 0-10. By then there was no trace of a pulse.The prize for Cork is a home Munster final for the first time in 12 years, and just like in 2014, Limerick will be their opponents. Ben O’Connor has said many times since the start of the year that he wanted to win every game, and with this win Cork became just the second team in the short history of the round robin to finish the group stages of the Munster championship with maximum points. Tipperary in 2019 were the others. For Clare, there will be another round of hard reflection. It was their heaviest championship defeat to Cork in 38 years, and the second time this month they have been beaten by a double-digit margin. At least against Limerick they mustered some resistance in the second half, but that was painfully absent here. The game against Tipp last weekend had clearly taken a toll. Just eight days later, they couldn’t source the furious energy and intensity they had brought to Semple Stadium, and on a hot day, they suffered. Their starting forwards shared one point from play between them. Diarmuid Stritch, who had flashed over six points against Tipp, had just two possessions in the first half and one shot. All over the field Clare players were stressed and stretched. John Conlon, whose comeback a week ago had brought stability to the Clare defence, was scorched by Shane Barrett and replaced early in the second half.Brian Hayes celebrates scoring a goal for Cork. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho Brian Hayes was replaced around the same time, but for entirely different reasons. Just as against Waterford a fortnight ago, Hayes ran amok. His goal, two minutes before the break, put Cork 1-13 to 0-7 in front, and having played with the breeze, it was impossible to see a way back for Clare.Hayes’ St Finbarr’s clubmate, William Buckley, played the scoring pass for the goal in another sparkling performance. He finished the game with four points from play and five assists. Alan Connolly took a while to wear down Adam Hogan, but when Cork moved the ball quickly to their inside line, Clare were scrambling. Hayes, Buckley and Connolly racked up 1-9 from play between them and had a direct hand in eight other scores.Cork’s attack is not playing with the explosiveness of the last couple of years, but the emphasis on graft is clear to see. “If you have 10 or 11 fellas sitting outside [on the bench] who want to be in there where you are, you’ll run too,” said O’Connor. “That’s the easiest thing you can do in this game, run. It is a bit like watching Arsenal pressing high up the field and we’ll try and keep the pressure off the lads at the back.“That is the way we are training, that is the way the lads are playing, and it is just pressure from the panel that is there that the minimum required is hard work. Hurling will take care of itself, but once the boys are trying hard, that is the main thing we are judging a lot of fellas on.”It hard seems significant now, but Clare had two clear goal scoring chances in the opening five minutes, both of which fell to Ian Galvin. For the first, Patrick Collins advanced quickly from his line and deflected the shot with his body.Cork's Mark Coleman is challenged by Clare's Peter Duggan. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho For the second, Galvin skinned Seán O’Donoghue along the endline, but his batted shot hit the far post and crawled along the goal line, begging for a final touch. Damien Cahalane, though, fell on the ball, or threw himself on it. Either way, it came to rest in the crook of his leg and bodies piled up like a game of Twister.Even though it was very early in the game, two goals then would have tested Cork’s nerve. Instead, the home team gradually took control. There was a systems failure on Clare’s puck-outs and even against a fresh breeze Cork went at Clare in waves.The Downey brothers and Mark Coleman were dominant in Cork’s half-back line and both of the wing backs were a threat going forward. Rob Downey returned from injury a couple of weeks ahead of schedule and came through the game unscathed. For Clare, the wounds are not skin deep.CORK: P Collins, N O’Leary, D Cahalane, S O’Donoghue, E Downey (0-1), R Downey, M Coleman, T O’Mahony (0-1), T O’Connell, B Walsh (0-2), S Barrett (0-5), D Healy (0-1), A Connolly (0-11, 8f), B Hayes (1-2), W Buckley (0-4). Subs: S Kingston (0-3) for Hayes (45 mins), G Millerick for Cahalane (55), H O’Connor for O’Mahony, P Power for Walsh (both 58).CLARE: E Qulligan, A Hogan, D McInerney, D Lohan, D Ryan (0-3), J Conlon, N O’Farrell, T Kelly (0-8, 6f, 1′65), C Malone, S Rynne, D Stritch, D Fitzgerald, I Galvin, P Duggan, S O’Donnell (0-1). Subs: R Hayes for D Lohan (13 mins), C Galvin (0-1) for Conlon (42), J Kirwan for Fitzgerald (45), S Meehan (1-1) for I Galvin (47), D Reidy for Malone (57).Referee: J Murphy (Limerick).