After recording career-best Test figures in New Zealand, paceman Jackson Bird has carried the form back to domestic cricket.
But while Tasmania benefited from the bowler's talent, the side was let down by their opening batsmen and are just 30 runs in the black with seven wickets in hand after day two of their Sheffield Shield match against NSW.
At Bellerive Oval on Sunday Bird was a wrecking ball to the visitors' first innings, finishing with 7-45 off 20.1 overs, representing his finest first-class haul and the second best ever recorded by a Tasmanian player.
"It's always nice to get wickets ... I'm pretty happy with that," a modest Bird said.
Less than a fortnight ago, wearing the baggy green in Christchurch, Bird took 5-59 against New Zealand, in his best Test showing.
The Hobart match is his return to Shield.
"It's nice to contribute and put us in a decent position. It was good fun out there."
What wasn't so amusing was the subsequent quick demise of Tassie openers Tim Paine (1) and Ben Dunk (5).
Their dismissals came a day after the pair were cheaply returned to the sheds in the side's first innings, which produced a total of 242.
The hosts had returned to the pitch late on Sunday afternoon with NSW taking a 29-run lead into the second innings.
At stumps 17 overs later the Tigers were 3-59 having also lost No.4 Alex Doolan (7).
"(It was) pretty disappointing to lose three wickets," Bird said.
"We were in a good position to build a good lead and that puts a dampener on the day, but, (there's) still a lot of batting to come."
Beau Webster (32 not out) and skipper George Bailey (9 no) will resume for Tasmania on Monday.
NSW's first innings was spearheaded by a Kurtis Patterson (100) century, which helped stretch the visitor's score after resuming at a shaky 4-26 on day two.
"I just tried to play straight and I guess it was my day in the end," the left-hander said of his total.
He found some support from Ben Rohrer, who added 58, and Ryan Carters, 45.
NSW need a win in the southern capital to keep their alive their hopes of a Shield finals berth.
