NSW made the most of Sydney's hot weather to reach an imposing 4-328 at stumps, as Queensland's bowlers toiled in their Sheffield Shield clash, with the extreme heat expected to be even worse on Saturday.
NSW captain Moises Henriques exacted the biggest toll on Friday's opening day, scoring an impressive 102 not out in a 144-ball innings at the SCG.
In concert with Peter Nevill (38no), Henriques helped put on an unbroken 131-run stand for the fifth wicket.
The day began very differently for NSW who were 2-2 with opener Daniel Hughes dismissed for a golden duck and Ed Cowan, who made a double century in the Blues' win last week over Victoria, also out without scoring.
The Blues revived through opener Nick Larkin, who compiled a chanceless 86, while Kurtis Patterson was equally impressive in scoring 88.
"(Our plan was) pretty simple really, being to get through the new ball," said Patterson.
"With us at 2-2, you know the bowlers will come searching for you a bit more. We knew that, so we just tried to wait for the bad balls.
"The first session was quite tough, it was super humid out there and the (every) 40-minutes drinks breaks were welcome but, of course, it was a lot better day for batting than it was for bowling or fielding.
"It felt very humid and sticky out there and quite different to what we normally experience here.
"Personally it was up there with one of the hardest (conditions) I have experienced."
The winner between the third-placed Bulls and fourth-placed Blues is likely to move into at least second spot, with the table-tapping Victoria and South Australia playing in Adelaide.
Queensland will be need quick wickets on day two otherwise they will face another arduous long spell in the field in Sydney's heatwave.
"Overall, it was quite a hot day and tomorrow will be even worse," added Patterson.
"From out of view, we need to try and keep them out there as long as possible and look to have a bowl at them midway through tomorrow."
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