Two challengers - Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane and Wahroonga MP Alister Henskens - are gunning for NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman's position.
But the affable Mr Speakman is fighting back as parliament wraps up for the year.
"My intention is to battle on," he told conservative host Ben Fordham on 2GB on Thursday.
"Reports of my death are grossly exaggerated and I'm here to fight," Mr Speakman added, borrowing a Mark Twain phrase.
He blamed the political fallout from his federal colleagues as filtering down to the most populous state.
Mr Speakman's comments distancing himself from the federal Liberal party come after the NSW Liberals committed to net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 in contrast to their counterparts in Canberra.
They also come days after the Liberal Party in Victoria installed first-term MP Jess Wilson as leader.
"We've taken a lot of brand damage from the turmoil in Canberra since then, and our job is to make sure we get clean air," Mr Speakman explained.
"I would expect anyone who wants to be the leader, who wants to knock me off ... would come and tell me and no one has."
Mr Speakman was animated in a tense question time in parliament on Thursday while Premier Chris Minns appeared unfazed.
He took sarcastic shots at the opposition leader, likening his media performance to cricket legend Greg Chappell.
Mr Minns also highlighted the contradiction within the coalition after the Liberals committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while the Nationals rejected it.
"It's a risky thing to say when you're in the middle of a leadership ballot," the premier told parliament.
Outside parliament, independent MP Rod Roberts described the roiling leadership spectacle as a "game of thrones".
He cautioned the Liberals needed to move swiftly with their decision in order to become an effective opposition ahead of state elections less than 18 months away.
Conservative Liberal MP Rachel Merton would not be drawn on who she would support, deflecting with "we've got a lot to do".
Labor minister Rose Jackson called the drama "an unnecessary distraction".
The Liberal Party needs one-third of its sitting MPs to agree to a meeting in order to allow contenders to challenge for the position.
Ms Sloane, a former TV news anchor who was elected to parliament in 2023, has been widely tipped as the most credible challenger leading former minister Mr Henskens, who has support from the right faction.
Mr Speakman confirmed reports that three Liberals approached him for a conversation on Wednesday night but maintained he has not been "tapped on the shoulder".
The party held a crisis room meeting on Tuesday to discuss its net-zero stance after their federal counterparts dumped the policy, and leaked internal polling shows most voters want credible climate policy.
The NSW coalition has been in upheaval after the Nationals elected Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh as leader on Tuesday unopposed after former broadcaster Dugald Saunders' shock resignation for family reasons.
Mr Minns has said his foes in the Liberals were caught in an "identity crisis" but did not discount them ahead of state elections in mid-2027.
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