NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is relieved the NSW Nationals have hung on to two once-safe seats after the coalition partner emerged from Saturday's by-elections battered and bruised.
The Nationals watched on nervously as the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party ate into their heartland seats of Cootamundra and Murray, held with margins of more than 20 per cent.
Despite leader John Barilaro claiming victory for the party on Sunday, he acknowledged it had been a hard-fought campaign as the Nationals suffered a swing of around 15 per cent.
"The nature of a by-election, together with some of the issues of the past meant we were always expecting a large swing against us," he said.
The results leave the once-safe seats as marginal electorates ahead of the 2019 state election.
"Look, there are lessons for the government and lessons for us. There's been a significant swing, so we have to accept that, but we don't claim to be a perfect government and in our imperfection we strive to do better and that's our job," Mr Barilaro told AAP on Saturday night.
The biggest threat to the Nationals came from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, which claimed the seat of Orange at by-election last year.
Their Cootamundra candidate Matthew Stadtmiller said the by-elections were a dress-rehearsal for the party for the 2019 state election.
"I think behind the scene the Nationals are quite worried".
The Shooters raised allegations of irregularities in an election night count designed to give an early indication of which major candidate will claim Murray.
However, the NSW Electoral Commission told AAP that poll had no impact on the final result, which will be confirmed when all preferences, pre-poll and postal votes are counted.
Ms Berejiklian said she was very pleased and relieved with the results despite the huge swing.
"Absolutely relieved, whenever there's a by-election there is a major, major swing against the government," she told reporters on Sunday morning.
Ms Berejiklian insisted Labor had no right to "chest beat" after equally poor showings in the regional seats.
But Labor stormed to victory in the third by-election in Blacktown, with candidate Stephen Bali registering more than 70 per cent of the vote in the western Sydney seat.
Labor leader Luke Foley said he took great pleasure from the result.
"A big message was sent to Ms Berejiklian's government by the people of western Sydney yesterday," he said on Sunday.
He said regional voters were turning their back on the coalition.
"The government has to change direction, listen to the people".
The by-elections were brought on by the resignations of former Nationals ministers Adrian Piccoli and Katrina Hodgkinson, and former Labor leader John Robertson.
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