Five wickets across the day for Bird - including Hughes twice in identical fashion - help put hosts on top in rain-shortened clash
Match Report:
ScorecardTigers roar as Blues follow on in Hobart
Fringe Test quick Jackson Bird took five wickets for Tasmania as NSW batted twice in a day in bowler-friendly conditions at Blundstone Arena.
The Blues were bowled out for 208 after tea on day three of their JLT Sheffield Shield clash and made to follow-on by Tigers' skipper George Bailey.
They were 2-50 at stumps, still trailing Tasmania by 104 runs.
Bird kept his name in the minds of national selectors with a first innings haul of 3-65 and two late scalps.
He was on a second innings hat-trick when he trapped Dan Hughes in front and Nick Larkin edged behind.
Larkin had the misfortune of getting a pair in one day, after Gabe Bell had him nicking to slip for a duck in the morning session.
Tasmania will be hoping forecast showers on Wednesday stay away as they push for an unlikely victory after wild weather washed out the opening day in Hobart.
The Tigers declared overnight at 4-392 and quickly made inroads with a swinging ball, reducing NSW to 3-4 under gloomy skies.
Veteran Ed Cowan (67) and former Test wicketkeeper Peter Nevill (38) mounted a mini-revival with a 73-run partnership either side of tea.
Cowan - last season's leading Shield run-scorer - was clean bowled by a Bird inswinger, while Nevill (38) scooped an easy leg-side catch off part-time spinner Beau Webster shortly afterwards.
Test spinner Steve O'Keefe (52 not out) offered some resistance but the tail fell around him.
Impressive right-armer Bell finished with 3-36.
Opener Jordan Silk had hit his first century for the Tigers in more than four years, while Test discard Matthew Wade smacked a quick-fire 72 late on Monday.
Wade didn't take the field due to illness on day three, with Jake Doran deputising behind the stumps.
Tasmania: Jordan Silk, Alex Doolan, George Bailey (c), Jake Doran, Matthew Wade (wk), Ben McDermott, Beau Webster, Tom Rogers, Jackson Bird, Sam Rainbird, Gabe Bell.
NSW: Daniel Hughes, Ed Cowan, Nick Larkin, Nic Maddinson, Kurtis Patterson, Peter Nevill (c, wk), Trent Copeland, Stephen O'Keefe, Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Doug Bollinger.