Muldoon, apparently realising that there was little chance of him regaining the leadership, threw his support behind Bolger, who remained opposed to McLay. There was considerable media speculation that McLay would be deposed before the end of 1985. The rumoured challenge, however, failed to happen, and McLay remained leader. In early 1986, however, McLay made a fatal mistake: in an attempt to "rejuvenate" the party's upper ranks, he demoted George Gair and Bill Birch, both of whom were highly respected for their long service.