In a state of near collapse (2,3,5)
I believe the answer is:
on the ropes
'in a state of near collapse' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for on the ropes that I've seen before include "Close to collapse" , "Badly placed in the ring" , "In a hopeless position" , "close to defeat" , "near defeat" .)