Less than 24 hours ago it looked increasingly likely that the Coalition might pull off a historic victory in Eden-Monaro, potentially becoming the first government to win a seat from an opposition in a by-election in over a century.

Yet just a day later those best-laid plans lay in tatters, the Coalition parties now no longer even have a presumptive candidate, but only buckets of bad blood.

With news that New South Wales Transport Minister and popular Bega state MP Andrew Constance would not be contesting the seat, followed by a press release from Federal Senator Jim Molan that he also would not be entering the race, the Liberals went from having two strong candidates to having none.

In such a high stakes race with potentially serious implications for the future of Anthony Albanese’s leadership of the Labor Party and the direction of broader political momentum, the Coalition’s shambolic handling of such an important by-election has been a much-needed gift for Albanese.

In the daydreams of Coalition strategists, a resounding victory in Eden-Monaro may have triggered the simmering discontent within elements of the Labor party to boil over into the more open conflict that dominated the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era, giving the Morrison government a decisive advantage.

Now, whether or not the Coalition can now find a candidate that can deliver them victory remains to be seen. But one thing is certain, the Liberal Party have delivered Anthony Albanese and Labor a much-needed lifeline — exactly when wanted.

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