Riley Meredith has added to NSW's horror start to the domestic season, with the Tasmanian pace bowler tearing through the Blues' batting line-up to leave them 6-179 in reply to the Tigers' 333.
After rain washed away the first 90 minutes of day three of the Sheffield Shield clash, Meredith claimed four wickets in the space of four overs to leave the Blues reeling.
Only Jason Sangha (53) and Sean Abbott (46no) have offered any real fight, putting on 81 runs for the sixth wicket after Meredith's early carnage in his 4-54.
The paceman had Kurtis Patterson (0), Moises Henriques (14) and Matthew Gilkes (0) all out edging before lunch, while Blake Nikitaras (32) found fine leg trying to hook the right-armer.
Meredith should have claimed a five-wicket haul just before tea when a ball bounced off Baxter Holt's body and hit the stumps but the bails remained in place.
It came after Sangha had perished on the pull shot off Beau Webster on 53, in what was a crucial momentum changer at Blundstone Arena.
Abbott's resistance has come with the allrounder called into Australia's one-day squad to face England for the injured Glenn Maxwell.
He will likely be able to play out the end of the Shield game unless selectors decide he is in the running to take his place in the first match in Adelaide on Thursday.
The Blues are yet to win a game this summer after losing all three matches in the 50-over competition to go with two draws and a loss in the Sheffield Shield.
