New South Wales believe an emphatic 10-wicket win over Tasmania shows they can claim the Sheffield Shield final berth at stake when they play Western Australia this week.
Former Test paceman Doug Bollinger ripped through the Tasmanian tail as the Blues secured victory early on day four at Bankstown Oval, rediscovering the winning momentum halted in a costly seven-wicket defeat by WA in Newcastle last weekend.
That loss dropped NSW from first to third on the ladder, but they now head to Perth in confident mood for a final round match starting on Friday that will decide one of this year's finalists.
Tasmania started the final day at 6-147, with the spin duo of Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe expected to be the main dangers on a slow pitch.
But Bollinger (4-23) ensured a fourth win in five matches for NSW when he took all four remaining wickets on Sunday, including rookie Beau Webster who made his highest first-class score of 83, as the visitors were dismissed for 183.
That left a victory target of just 27, which Blues openers Scott Henry and Ryan Carters were untroubled in reaching.
Bollinger believes the Blues are more than capable of defeating WA on their own turf.
"We don't have to do much differently, just those one per-centers that we missed out on in Newcastle," he said.
"The way we played and won this game, if we can do that again for the rest of the season we should be fine."
NSW were again well served by Test bowler Lyon and fellow spinner O'Keefe who shared 10 wickets in the match, with the latter the Blues' top wicket-taker for the season.
But the Blues face a potential selection quandary with Perth's notoriously bouncy WACA pitch rarely favouring spin.
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