Decline and Retirement
The split in opinion regarding his contribution to the game plus illness led a decline for Waring's popularity. A petition had been organised by some hardcore supporters asking the BBC to remove him from commentary as he was perceived to be portraying a poor image of the game and its northern roots. The BBC however stuck with him as their main commentator.
It was illness that would affect him over the next few years and in some of his later commentaries it was clearly noticeable that he was beginning to struggle to identify players. He commentated on his last Challenge Cup Final in 1981.
Read more about this topic: Eddie Waring
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