NSW quicks Trent Copeland and Doug Bollinger claimed quick wickets as South Australia lost their early grip of the Sheffield Shield match in Adelaide.
The Redbacks bowled NSW out for 157 but in reply wobbled to 5-101 at stumps on Tuesday’s opening day.
Copeland (3-22 from 14 overs) and Bollinger (2-32) triggered a South Australian collapse of five wickets for 14 runs.
Copeland grabbed the first three scalps and Bollinger then claimed victims in consecutive balls.
Bollinger’s hat-trick attempt was a bouncer which cracked into the helmet of SA’s Jake Brown, leaving the batsman dazed but not dismissed.
Earlier, SA’s in-form paceman Chadd Sayers destroyed the Blues’ batting line-up.
Sayers, the Shield’s leading wicket-taker this season with 35 victims, claimed 5-54 from 20 overs including the initial four wickets, as NSW crashed to 4-33.
His pace partner Joe Mennie took 4-39 from 20 overs, with only Blues veteran Brad Haddin playing an innings of substance.
Haddin top-scored with 56 but opener David Dawson (26) and Copeland (26) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.