Tag Archives: Wayne Freeman

Clare’s flagship ladies footballers received a devastating double blow in Cusack Park on Sunday when not only exiting the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship at the quarter-final stage but subsequently also seeing manager Wayne Freeman step down following a successful two year reign. Having previously led a new-look Banner to the brink of an All-Ireland title in his first year in charge in 2023, Kildare native Freeman added a National League Division 3 crown to the Munster Senior B success garnered last year and seemed destined for another prolonged championship assault until being unceremoniously edged out by Tyrone on home soil. Announcing his decision to step down immediately afterwards to his players in the dressing room in Cusack Park, an emotional Freeman, who managed the side with fellow Lilywhites Lee Hunt, Brian Willis and Jack MacNamee along with Kerry native Graham Shine, was understandably crestfallen. “We just informed the players that we won’t be here next year. We made that decision at …

There was almost a sense of inevitability when Kildare eventually overcame chief Leinster rivals Wexford to cement their place against Clare in the All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Final in Croke Park this Sunday. After all, the hand of fate had thrown up a potential revenge mission for the Banner who had agonisingly missed their chance at intermediate glory in the 2016 decider against the Lilywhites. More than that though, having been contentiously edged out twice by Kildare already in 2023 alone including an extra-time National League Division 3 Final reverse back in April, it’s easy to see why Clare are hell bent on redressing the balance. However, the final ingredient of Clare’s date with destiny is the fact that Clare Manager Wayne Freeman and his immediate backroom team of Lee Hunt and Brian Willis are all Kildare natives, albeit that their residency permits could be in jeopardy as the banter levels have intensified over the past three weeks. “I’ve been …

One would be forgiven for thinking that Freeman, Hunt and Willis was a high powered law firm but Clare’s new ladies football management have been holding court together for the past six years. Formulated as a backroom team for their native Kildare’s Minor LGFA team back in 2018, the triumvirate have subsequently developed an innate understanding and bond that has seen them incrementally move up the ranks of ladies football. Appointed as Louth’s flagship manager for 2020, under Freeman the Wee County quickly ascended from being a struggling Division 4 side to an established intermediate team and now the next rung of that ladder for the trio is to finally bridge that 14-year gap to Clare’s last All-Ireland Intermediate Championship crown. First thing’s first, Clare’s new-look squad and management team need to construct a well-oiled championship machine which means that the county’s new surroundings in Division 3 of the National Ladies Football League will be predominantly utilised as the ultimate …