Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy knew he wasn't going to be premier.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He had given up on Friday after a string of polls showed a return of the Labor government with a strengthened majority.
By Saturday night, the party was already blaming each other, their federal counterparts and the Labor government for what was to become a historic loss.
"We've lost everything, I want to cry," a young Liberal member told a friend on the phone at 7.30pm as results came flooding in.
"I feel like I'm in a bad dream," a staffer said around 8pm.
"This is f****d," another put it succinctly at 9pm.
By the time Mr Guy arrived to make his concession speech with wife Renae by his side, there were calls for his head - as well as that of Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger.
Mr Guy, however, offered no explanation of what went wrong and no indication of his future as leader.
Instead, he called for unity in the party as they stare down another four years in opposition.
"Can I say for the next parliament, as a party, we need to stick together. We need to stay united and we need to stay focused on our opponents and the game ahead, not on ourselves," Mr Guy said.
He acknowledged a lot of MPs had lost their seats, but held out hope not all of them would be gone once all votes were counted.
"We expect a number of those seats to be retained by the party but they in no way detract from the result our opponents had tonight," he said.
He also thanked his staff, candidates, campaign volunteers and his family.
He ended by thanking Liberal voters for keeping the faith.
"Every day in opposition is a day closer to government and while tonight is not our night, we know that, we acknowledge that, we accept that, our time in the sun will come again," he said.
Just minutes after making his concession speech he left Bulleen's Veneto Club for his nearby home.
The Italian-themed social club, a Guy family favourite, was a far cry for the luxe hotels that have hosted Liberal functions in the past.
It is also due to be demolished when Labor begins construction on its North East link toll road.
Australian Associated Press
