Victorian deputy leader and former tennis star Sam Groth stunned colleagues with his decision to quit politics on Monday, coinciding with Northern Victoria MP Wendy Lovell's retirement announcement.
The pair will not recontest their seats at the November 28 state election, though an expert says the party could still win if it persuades disaffected voters to give it another chance.
Groth, a first-term MP, had a meteoric rise through party ranks after being elected in 2022, said significant public pressure on his family in recent months had led him to step away.
Redbridge pollster and former Liberal strategist Tony Barry said Mr Groth had limited name recognition among voters, despite his sporting pedigree, and his retirement would not have much impact on the party.
"In terms of him as a loss, he was a political debutant with negligible experience in politics as a staffer or a party official and he was on a very steep learning curve," Mr Barry told AAP.
"Sam was someone with an obvious work ethic, obviously a bright fellow, but untested, and it turns out that politics wasn't for him."
If the party could find another candidate of similar or better quality, it was a net positive, Mr Barry said.
The Liberals were still in election contention amid an "incredible" mood for change in Victoria, he said.
The pollster said a majority of voters believed the third-term Labor government did not have the right focus and priorities.
"What they need to see from the Liberal Party is sustained performance and unity, and if the Liberal Party can demonstrate that in the next 11 months, they could potentially win pretty comfortably," Mr Barry said.
The Liberal National coalition holds 29 lower house seats to Labor's 54 and will need to flip 16 electorates to govern in a majority following the state election.
Mr Groth's announcement comes after he and his wife Brittany settled a lawsuit against Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper over articles sparked by a "piece of gossip" from a Liberal MP about when the pair began their relationship.
He said having to "fight against your own team" made it impossible to put his constituents first.
Meanwhile, Ms Lovell, an upper house veteran, revealed she would walk away from the job after 24 years of service.
She has held numerous leadership positions while in state parliament, including as a cabinet minister for the Baillieu and Napthine governments between 2010 and 2014.
Liberal leader Jess Wilson said the party's infighting issues were "of the past", with her team focused on the needs of Victorians at the next election.
Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said Mr Groth's decision showed the Liberals were more divided in 2026 than ever.
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