[citation needed] On 16 June 1981, Leichhardt Oval hosted the last interstate game between NSW and Qld played under the old 'State of Residence' rules before the permanent move to the now familiar State of Origin series.

[5] Playing that night were some of the stars of the game at the time including: Chris Anderson, Noel Cleal, Steve Mortimer, Ray Price and Les Boyd (NSW), coached by Ted Glossop, and Mal Meninga, Gene Miles, Chris Close and Wally Lewis (Qld), who were captain-coached by Arthur Beetson.

[6] On 4 August 1985, a crowd of 21,707 set a then Balmain Tigers ground attendance record for a Round 22 clash in the 1985 Winfield Cup against the St. George Dragons, won 17–15 by St.

Balmain left the ground after the 1994 NSWRL season when they moved to Parramatta Stadium as part of an identity change to the Sydney Tigers.

The ground remains a venue for high level rugby league in Australia although it currently holds only five NRL games a year.

Attempts to improve facilities are underway with the goal to return Leichhardt to its place as a top level rugby league venue.

[8] Previously it had provided a loan to match grants made from Leichhardt Council and the Balmain Football Club.

A-League club Sydney FC also played a pre-season friendly against rivals Central Coast Mariners on 6 June 2009.

In 2011 Lambert Park received a major upgrade that installed a synthetic pitch, which has seen higher profile matches moved to the Oval as professional teams prefer not to risk injury on a non-natural surface.

This record was set on 27 August 1989, for a Round 22 NSWRL game against the Penrith Panthers, won 33–6 by the Grand Final bound Tigers.

In June 2024, a AU$40 million upgrade of Leichhardt Oval was announced by the Federal and New South Wales Governments as well as the Inner West Council.

Seating capacity is to be increased via a new grandstand at the northern end as well as refurbishments undertaken on the existing spectator facilities and upgrades to the players changerooms.