Cork 0-18
Westmeath 0-10
Cork made a winning start to the league under new manager Brian Cuthbert’s stewardship thanks to a devastating 15-minute burst just after the interval at Páirc Uí Rinn.
Goal-scoring opportunities were rare enough on a difficult afternoon for the players, though Brian Hurley almost claimed one for Cork in the 17th minute.
Newly promoted Westmeath must have fancied their chances of causing an upset, when Kieran Martin landed a 36th minute free to give the visitors a 0-6 to 0-5 lead.
But, Cork responded to the challenge in a most impressive fashion as they scored 0-9 without response in their most productive period of a game played on a slippery surface in Cork.
A fisted effort from top-scorer Daniel Goulding began the spree as Fintan Goold, Mark Collins, Brian Hurley, Aidan Walsh and James Loughrey also got in on the act before Goulding completed the sequence following a brilliant pass from substitute Donncha O’Connor after 53 minutes of play.
Contest died
It left Cork 0-14 to 0-6 in front and suddenly the game as a contest effectively died, Westmeath unable to live with the speed and thrust of the Cork attack, which finally got moving after a stuttering opening second half.
Cuthbert could afford to empty his bench during the remainder and he handed league debuts to Conor Dorman, Brian O’Driscoll and Ruairi Deane.
Westmeath went 23 minutes without a score before a John Heslin free ended the barren spell and another point from play made it 0-15 to 0-8 entering the closing 10 minutes, but the kick was gone out of the tie.
Cork came again with another three-point salvo, including one for newcomers Donal Óg Hodnett and O’Driscoll, one of three brothers on the home bench, before Westmeath landed the closing two scores from substitute Ray Connellan and Ger Egan.
CORK: K O'Halloran; J McLoughlin, E Cadogan, M Shields; J Loughrey (0-1), T Clancy (Clonakilty), T Clancy (Fermoy); A Walsh (0-3), A O'Sullivan; M Collins (0-2), P Kerrigan, F Goold (0-1); D Goulding (0-7, three frees), B Hurley (0-1), D Óg Hodnett (0-1). Subs: D O'Connor for Kerrigan (45 mins), C Dorman for Shields (inj, 49 mins), B O'Driscoll (0-1) for T Clancy (Fermoy) (53 mins),R Deane for T Clancy (Clonakilty) (54 mins), J O'Rourke (0-1) for Collins (59 mins), J Hayes for Hurley (63 mins).
WESTMEATH: D Quinn; S Gilmore, K Maguire, Damien Dolan; J Dolan, J Gilligan, J Gonoud; D Duffy, D Corroon; G Egan (0-2), J Egan (0-1), P Sharry; K Martin (0-2, one free), J Heslin (0-4 frees), A Giles. Subs: D Glennon for Giles (inj, 33 mins), K Gavin for Damien Dolan (41 mins), Dessie Dolan for Martin (45 mins), R Connellan (0-1) for Corroon (55 mins), D McNicholas for Heslin (inj, 67 mins).
Referee: P O'Shea (Kerry).
