Wests Tigers attempt to deliver on their promise to vacate Leichhardt Oval at the end of the year has been refused their request to fund an upgrade by r the NSW government for yet a second time.

The Tigers have been playing all five of their 12 home games this season at Leichhardt Oval but have long held concerns for the condition and facilities at the hallowed inner west ground.

Leichhardt has insufficient change rooms to host NRL men’s and women’s double-headers, regularly features some of the NRL’s longest queues for refreshments, and pales in comparison to other Sydney stadiums when it comes to corporate and media facilities.

Former Tigers premiership player Dene Halatau spoke on ABC Sport’s broadcast of the Tigers’ 32-6 win over Cronulla on Saturday night about the special place the ground holds in the club’s history, while acknowledging its shortcomings.

“[The Sydney Football Stadium, Western Sydney Stadium and Lang Park] are phenomenal, but a fan comes here knowing what they’re getting,” he said.

“In terms of facilities there’s work that could be done, [but] the players have got everything they need.

“It’s not modern, it doesn’t have all the trimmings, but when a fan comes to Leichhardt they overlook a lot of the rest of that stuff.”

The home stadium of the three-time defending premiers will receive a $309 million face-lift in 2025 that expands the ground’s capacity to 25,000 with an all-new western grandstand and refurbished eastern grandstand.