The Academy Award-nominated American filmmaker Ava DuVernay was 16-years-old in April 1989 when five teenage boys from Harlem were charged with the brutal attack and rape of a female jogger in New York’s Central Park. DuVernay lived in Los Angeles, on the other side of the country, but the strident reporting and racial overtones of the story, which dominated newspaper headlines and television newscasts, came through clearly: the victim was white, while four of the accused were African-American and the other was Hispanic.

The crime, and the subsequent investigation, rapid arrest and conviction of the five juveniles, complete with confessions, galvanises When They See Us, DuVernay’s compelling new Netflix limited series about the teenagers who would become th

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e Central Park Five – a title used to initially identify their crime, and later their innocence. In 2002 the convictions of the five men were vacated, after the actual attacker confessed, and they were subsequently awarded US$41 million in damages after suing the city of New York.

“The subject matter has to reach me in a really personal place if I’m going to marry myself to it for years. I started working on this in 2015, and I really felt this one,” DuVernay says. “The story is an epic tale and there is a lot of tragedy in it, but it ends triumphantly. These men are alive, they’re well, they’re thriving, and justice was served. It’s rare for a story like this to end like this.”

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Fresh off a flight back home to Los Angeles, where the 46-year-old has carved out a career in feature films (Selma, A Wrinkle in Time), documentaries (13th), and television series (Queen Sugar), DuVernay talks about the real life events and the five hours she dramatised about it with a mixture of incisive detail and lyrical power. The four episodes of When They See Us have the same sense of intimate experience and historic judgment – it’s a shocking and immersive viewing experience, but one elevated by lyrical reflection.

“It could have easily been a procedural, as true crime dramas are all the rage right now, and it has all the makings of that,” DuVernay says, “but I realised that if I was doing this so the men can be heard, then I should always stay with them. Even on the set, when I had ideas in the middle of shooting a scene, I would remind myself, ‘this is about those boys’.”

“Everything I did, every script, every scene, every cut, every decision about a

costume or location,” she adds, “was about how

to design the story around the perspective of these five men and the people who loved them.”

DuVernay has an activist’s energy and a storyteller’s eye. She’d long followed the case in the media, and in 2015 as her profile blossomed with the success of Selma, her searing examination of Dr Martin Luther King’s 1965 civil rights march in America’s segregated south, she found a tweet sent to her by Raymond Santana jnr, one of the five men in the Central Park Five. “What’s your next film gonna be on?” he asked, with the hashtags #centralpark5 and #fingerscrossed offering his hopeful answer.

The director soon met Santana for dinner, then with what he calls his “brothers”: Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise and Antron McCray. DuVernay instinctively knew that their story had a classic three-act structure, perfect for a film or series, but beyond that she sensed that so much of the work she’d done to date, going back to her 2012 independent feature Middle of Nowhere, was a kind of preparation for telling the complete story of the Central Park Five.

“This is the fourth work I’ve made that looks at different aspects of the criminal justice system,” DuVernay says, “Middle of Nowhere showed me the impact of incarceration on families, while 13th explained the structure of a fixed system and Selma talked about resistance and how to push back. I feel like When They See Us is the sum total of everything I’ve made up to this point.”

That authority comes to bear from the first episode, which identifies the boys and their lives, as well as their presence in Central Park on the night in question, before dashing it upon a police and investigatory system that is institutionally racist.

Felicity Huffman’s Linda Fairstein, the then head of the Sex Crimes Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, is the first to identify the boys as “animals”, and the investigating detectives under her in turn coerce confessions and abridge the legal rights of minors. There is no official dissenting voice, even from African-American or Hispanic police officers.

“What I’m hoping people can see is that once you’re ensnared in the system it is you against the state. When you look at the documents of people trying to defend themselves against alleged crimes in this country, you see that person’s name versus the state,” DuVernay says. “A whole state is putting all its resources against one person, and that person may not have any resources or be educated to their rights. It’s an overwhelming experience and it is designed to overwhelm.”

Shot on location in New York by DuVernay and her long-time collaborator, cinematographer Bradford Young (Selma, Arrival), When They See Us folds in the American media’s rush to judgment and the inflammatory actions of then New York property developer Donald Trump, but it always returns to the humanity of those involved. The first episode ends with the boys meeting after they’ve been railroaded, a bittersweet moment of camaraderie and shame.

“Hopefully people can understand that these aren’t criminals, they’re people ensnared in the system where every twist and turn is designed to take you deeper and deeper into an abyss and away from being a part of society,” DuVernay says. “They were human beings – they weren’t a wolf pack, they weren’t animals. It’s the same with so many people behind bars: they have families, dreams and beating hearts.”

When They See Us premieres on Netflix, Friday, May 31.

Daniel Henshall is so skilled at playing evil characters like Snowtown's serial killer John Bunting that he's become used to people feeling let down when they meet him in real life.

"There's often a hint of disappointment that there isn't that gravitas or intensity they were expecting," says the softly spoken Sydney-born, Brooklyn-based actor. "I've got used to going, 'Sorry'."

The latest addition to the 36-year-old's catalogue of nasties is the late painter Adam Cullen in Acute Misfortune. In it, he tortures – mentally and, occasionally, physically – the young journalist Erik Jensen, on whose book the film is based.

He lived with the role of Cullen for years, helping director Thomas M. Wright, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jensen, to shape the character. He learnt to paint, to shoot, to skin an animal. He put on weight – and, later, shed it – for the shoot too. But, says Henshall, he never felt he was being subsumed by Cullen.

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"I definitely never stay in character," he says. "I like playing the fool on set, making jokes, chilling out. When it's time to lock in I lock in, but I find that the easier it is on set – the less tense it is when it doesn't need to be – the better the environment to work in. You don't need the earnestness and the seriousness to be front-and-centre every day."

It's a relief to hear that hanging around Henshall while he's working isn't likely to be life-threatening, especially since he can also be seen in next month's Sydney Film Festival playing a violent Nazi skinhead in the American feature Skin. But he's dubious anyway about those tales of actors who stay in character for months at a time while working on a film.

"I think there's a reverence around that notion that isn't completely honest," he says. "It's a great selling point – 'He stayed in character' – but it isn't necessarily true."

What Henshall does do is find a way to empathise with the character he is playing, no matter how vile they might appear to be.

In the case of the alcoholic and hyper-masculine Cullen, that meant understanding him as someone who had never recovered from a failed relationship, someone who was, despite his success (including as a serial finalist in and, in 2000, winner of the Archibald Prize), "a very isolated and lonely, sensitive person who leaned on very self-destructive practices to keep himself from the rejection of the art world".

In the case of Bunting, who was found guilty in 2003 of murdering 11 people, Henshall honed in on the suggestion that he had been sexually abused as a child. "I've never been abused but there was something in that, I could see a lost child who didn't develop emotionally," he says. "That was the key to locking in to John – this little child that wasn't necessarily loved in a way he deserved to be."

That willingness to go deep is what breathes such intensity and authenticity into Henshall's performances. But for those who know him best, it can also make for unsettling viewing.

Just the day before we sit down to chat – me with my recorder, he with his notebook full of jottings because he's a bit jet-lagged and has a tendency "to wander off the path fairly easily" – his mother had told him how difficult she finds it to see him in the kind of violent men in which he seems to specialise.

"She said, ‘It’s hard for me to separate my son, in whom I instilled these values and who is a gentle person – though I know he can be angry too – and these roles'," he says.

His parents are strongly Anglican, and still involved in community and charity work through the church. And while he says he's "absolutely not" religious, perhaps some of that caring rubbed off regardless.

"I try to instil in these characters an affability, to give them a chance to be heard," he says of his studies in toxic masculinity. "Not just to look at the behaviour, but to what led to that behaviour."

Henshall says he and his wife, costume designer Stacey O'Connor (the pair share a place in Green Point, Brooklyn, with fellow Aussie actor Sarah Snook) are hoping to start a family soon. That's both a mark of age – "I feel like I'm finally turning into an adult nearing the age of 37" – and proof of the confidence he finally feels in his career, thanks to a four-season stint in the American Revolutionary drama Turn: Washington's Spies and roles in Hollywood films Ghost in the Shell and Okja, as well as a part alongside Chris Captain America Evans in Defending Jacob, a forthcoming series for Apple.

He's not always cast as the villain, of course; in both the recent Stan drama Bloom and Foxtel's forthcoming Lambs of God, he plays a cop. But if his future path includes more bad guys, he won't be complaining.

"I find it really interesting to unpick the facade of masculinity," he says. "Really unpicking some of those complex emotions and insecurities, that fascinates me."

No fear of being typecast then?

"I wish you would," he says softly. "Bring it on."

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A homeless man has been charged with murder following the "horrendous" death of 25-year-old Courtney Herron in Parkville.

Ms Herron, who was homeless, was found dead by dog walkers in Royal Park on Saturday morning, sparking a major police investigation.

A 27-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on Sunday and charged with one count of murder overnight.

He will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.

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Police say Ms Herron was slain in a "horrendous bashing" before her body was found. Homicide squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said there was no evidence the attack was sexually motivated.

Ms Herron attempted to call former boyfriend Terrick Edwards in the hours before her death, his sister Nindara Edwards Norris told The Age. She said he now felt responsible "for not being able to offer her a safe place for the night".

The couple had lived in the inner northern suburb of Northcote for "many years" and remained close after separating four years ago, Ms Norris said.

Ms Herron was raised in the northern suburbs, Ms Norris said. She has a sister and brother and was "a part of a beautiful caring Greek-Aussie family".

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Ms Herron had suffered "many mental illness issues and recurring homelessness" since the split with her brother, according to Ms Norris.

She said her brother would want Ms Herron "to be remembered for the lovely woman she was and not just another homeless person who died on the streets".

Ms Herron had worked for a government department "a number of years ago", Ms Norris said.

"So to end up homeless and on the street is truly shocking for people to grasp."

Melburnians will gather for a vigil on Friday at 5.30pm at Royal Park, with organisers urging people to "join together" to pay tribute to Ms Herron and reclaim the public park.

"All people deserve safety in this world. Sadly, once again we must mourn the loss of an innocent woman in a place known to so many of us."

Bouquets and heartfelt messages have been placed by mourners at a group of logs behind where Ms Herron's body was found.

The makeshift shrine was continuing to grow on Monday morning, with friends and complete strangers braving the bitter cold winds to make their way across Royal Park and pay their respects.

Annette Graham, 48, didn’t know Ms Herron, but arrived with her 11-year-old son Coulton to place a bouquet of bright yellow roses tied with a red ribbon.

"I wanted to send a message to whoever loved this poor lady, that we are thinking of them, and thinking of her."

Ms Graham, who lives locally in North Melbourne, walks here four or five times a week at 7am and is wondering if it’s still safe to do so.

"It just felt close to home and I just felt’it’s enough. It has to stop. The violence has to stop."

She used to walk at Royal Park at 6am or earlier but said 18 months ago she was followed at strange man and became scared.

A friend of Ms Herron's, who asked not to be named, on Sunday left flowers at the site and wept on the shoulder of another friend.

"She was kind and she was lovely and she was a great friend," she said.

Matt Walsh knew Ms Herron in high school and said she was one of the most kind-hearted people he had ever met.

"[She was] always smiling and joking, trying to make herself and others happy. That's how I'll remember her," he said.

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Jadee Craggles posted on Facebook about her anger at Ms Herron's life being taken so young.

"Breaks my heart that we live in such a f—ed up world, nobody deserves this," she said. "It was a pleasure knowing you; even not seeing you in years."

Ms Craggles told The Age she hadn't seen Courtney since high school, and was shocked to hear that she had been struggling.

"She was a beautiful, normal young girl, breaks my heart to hear she was doing it so tough now," she said.

Detective Inspector Stamper said Ms Herron had lived a difficult life, struggling with drugs and mental health issues.

He described Ms Herron as a "vulnerable" member of the community who society had failed to protect.

"This was a young woman who had significant challenges in life. We as a community should be protecting these people and we didn't. We failed on this occasion," he said.

Detective Inspector Stamper said Ms Herron's family was "heartbroken".

"Courtney had had sporadic contact with her family, which is very much part of the challenges that happen when there is a child that suffers drug use and mental health issues … family relationships can be fragmented," he said.

"But I stress, that doesn't mean that families out there don't love their children and their heart breaks for them. We're dealing with a heartbroken family."

The last confirmed sighting of Ms Herron was on May 14 in St Albans when she spoke with police about a minor matter relating to her mental health and drug use.

Police said that towards the end of her life she was transient and interacted with a lot of people, who may be able to help police map out her movements in the final weeks of her life.

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It says everything about Scott Morrison and his reborn government that the big theme of his new ministry is deliberately humdrum.

While Labor promised vast reform at the federal election, the Coalition offered more of the same with a pledge to keep improving. And it won.

The result is a new ministry that is all about management rather than bold new agendas, about keeping existing programs under control before embarking on any new ones.

Expectations are high for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the delivery has already been marked by anger and disappointment when people miss out on the services they need. Stuart Robert has a significant challenge in fixing this.

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The National Broadband Network has infuriated some of its customers with cumbersome roll-outs and problems with speed. Paul Fletcher, who wrote a book about broadband policy, has his work cut out.

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The Coalition has made few commitments in social services, and has no plan to increase Newstart, but this is an area where delivery is a constant challenge and failures make headlines. Anne Ruston moves into cabinet with a substantial task ahead as Minister for Families and Social Services.

Liberals are already jostling to replace two senators, Arthur Sinodinos and Mitch Fifield, who will take up diplomatic posts. A push is under way in Victoria to give that state's upper house position to Sarah Henderson, who lost her seat of Corangamite at the election. Senator Jim Molan is being named as a potential candidate if he loses his seat in the ongoing count from the May 18 election.

Those who helped Morrison ascend to the leadership last August gain positions in this ministry, but not to an extent that is disproportionate. Robert is one. Two others, Steve Irons and Ben Morton, serve at assistant minister level.

A fourth, Alex Hawke, takes on a dual responsibility for defence and foreign aid, with an emphasis on the Pacific. It is an interesting strategic appointment given the expansion of Chinese influence.

Some of those who supported Peter Dutton last August keep their positions or gain bigger roles. Alan Tudge is promoted to cabinet, while Greg Hunt and Angus Taylor stay in their portfolios. Taylor gains responsibility for emissions reduction as well as energy. Michael Sukkar becomes Assistant Treasurer, an important role.

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The biggest loser from this reshuffle, Melissa Price, suffers from being a poor advocate in the environment portfolio. Morrison was under no pressure to admit he made a mistake with her appointment last year, but he bit the bullet.

Importantly, he promoted Ruston and Sussan Ley to ensure there were still seven women in cabinet.

Also important is his decision to name Nola Marino and Jane Hume as assistant ministers. This does not fix all the Liberal Party's troubles in recruiting and promoting women, but it is another step forward.

The Waratahs are clinging to hope they can give some of their biggest names the farewell they deserve despite falling to their eighth loss of the season against the Jaguares at the weekend.

NSW remain a mathematical chance to snatch a wildcard spot in the Super Rugby finals but now face back-to-back games against the Rebels and Brumbies, the two teams ranked above them in the conference standings, before a final away game against the Highlanders.

A dejected dressing room at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday was forced to confront the fact plans to send off club veterans Sekope Kepu and Nick Phipps with a red-hot tilt at a title were on life support.

"Extremely disappointing. That one really hurt, we knew it was a crucial game for us," Kurtley Beale said.

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"I thought that there were patches there where we did some really good things but we hurt ourselves with some poor errors. Not having that discipline to stick to the shape, and they put a lot of pressure on us."

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Phipps and Kepu are not the only big names leaving Daceyville at season's end. Winger Curtis Rona is joining Premiership club London Irish, while Beale, NSW five-eighth Bernard Foley, Test second rower Rob Simmons and centre Karmichael Hunt are also off contract at the end of the year.

Beale brushed off questions about his future, preferring to focus on the upcoming Test season.

"I haven’t really thought about it too much, I'm leaving it up to my management, there’s a few things happening around the traps," Beale said.

"This is a massive year for me, I’m just trying to make sure I get my body right now and focus on week in, week out. I’m making sure I can contribute the best way I can."

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The veteran Waratah signed with the club as a teenager and turned 30 this year, with a two-season stint in Melbourne and a year in England the only disruptions to 10 seasons in the NSW blue.

Beale urged his teammates to remain "hopeful" the cards would fall in their favour over the final three rounds of the season.

"It’s important for us to not be too down," he said.

"We can hurt over this but be very hopeful about the next few weeks. They’re all grand final matches and you have to be hopeful at this stage of the season."

The Waratahs face a tight turnaround to prepare for Friday's clash with the Rebels at AAMI Park. The second-placed Australian team look set to field a line up minus experienced No.9 Will Genia after he was knocked out in the side's thumping win over the Sunwolves.

But NSW will also be depleted, with Hunt expected to be out for six weeks with a medial ligament knee injury, Test hooker Tolu Latu stood down awaiting a court appearance and Israel Folau's recent exit.

Manly winger Lalakai Foketi was solid as Hunt's replacement and will be favoured to start at No.12 against the Rebels, but it is the NSW game managers who will need to step up if they are to topple the Rebels.

"We're working really hard," Beale said. "No team goes out there to lose. There's a couple of games this year when we just lost by a point or so and it could have been a different season for us.

"In saying that our season’s not at the end. We play another three games and we’ve got to be hopeful.

"That’s an important thing for us as a group now. Stay tight and make sure we keep working hard for each other. We’re hoping a game or two can turn it around and be the difference. That’s what a tough grinding season is, making sure we’re all in it together in the dying stages."

Arthur Sinodinos is the ultimate steady pair of hands.

He'll need to be. The Trump administration's upheaval of American politics, the United States' sharpening rivalry with China and fears about the reliability of the American presence in Asia raise the diplomatic stakes to an all-time high.

Never has it been more important for Australia's voice to be clearly heard in the clamorous US capital, where the whole world is striving for the attention of the superpower's decision-makers.

Sinodinos has a number of qualities to recommend him. He is deeply experienced, connected and respected.

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As the former chief-of-staff to then prime minister John Howard, who did not hesitate to back George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks and in the Iraq invasion – despite the latter's being an American strategic blunder – Sinodinos is inextricably linked in many senior Washington figures' minds with a high watermark of the ANZUS alliance.

"He's a consigliere," said Simon Jackman, CEO of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. "He's a great counsellor to prime ministers and to his party. He's a straight shooter, which is exactly what you need when there are hard conversations to be had about what Australia can do and what it is less likely to be able to."

Current ambassador Joe Hockey has very tight relationships with Trump's inner circle, Jackman says, including his acting chief-of-staff, Mick Mulvaney. Sinodinos will be able to pick up that role immediately.

He'll need every bit of his smarts, his charm, his persistence to steadily convey to the Americans a few things Canberra wants to happen – and not to happen.

We want the US and China to manage their great power competition sensibly. We don't want to have to choose between them. We want trade differences resolved through an international system of rules. We don't want the world's technology supply chains and markets to be split into a US sphere and a Chinese sphere.

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We most definitely don't want to be thrown under the bus in any trade deal between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

And we don't want to be drawn into the Fox News conspiracy theory – which Trump has embraced by asking his Attorney-General William Barr to investigate – that senior elements of US intelligence and law enforcement plotted with foreigners, including the Australian government, to concoct the Russia allegations.

At the centre of that conspiracy theory is George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign aid who famously met with former foreign minister Alexander Downer in a London wine bar.

Papadopoulos, who seems genuinely to think he is James Bond, tweeted on Sunday morning that the US should "expose the Australians" and added that "they need us. We don't need them!"

Sinodinos will find many friends in Washington. There is still an overwhelmingly sensible centre of gravity in the world's most powerful capital. He'll need those people to mediate the more extreme characteristics of the Trump administration.

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It was a business brainwave that came while having a cuppa and Pod Star co-founder Kirsten Williams says traction is only growing.

"It is actually a business that is made from a mission — and the mission isn’t about getting rich."

Instead, it's all about harnessing Australian consumer's appetite for a war on waste to let them have their capsule coffee machines without the stress over empty pods.

The global market value of tea and coffee pods jumped from $22 billion in 2017 to $42.4 billion in 2019, according to Fior Markets. Millions of pods are disposed of in Australia each year.

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The major market leaders in Australia including Nespresso and Aldi have services to recycle the pods, with postal and drop off options for customers.

Scrapping single use

Despite this, founders like Williams and her partner Mark Denning, have questioned why there needs to be single-use capsules at all.

Last year the duo embarked on a project that saw "a couple of fails": reverse-engineering the design of stainless steel pods that can be successfully used in different capsule coffee machine brands.

It was a process of designing prototypes, running them through machines and then tasting the resulting coffee until the company had the perfect fit for the products consumers already owned.

"The idea is that it should be able to last a lifetime… though it wasn't quite as simple as putting any coffee in and away it went," Williams says.

The couple invested just over $20,000 to start the design and manufacturing process and now offer reusable pods that fit the Aldi, Caffitaly and Nespresso machine brands.

Users buy coffee that is ground for reusable machines and then can add a small portion to the capsule each time they brew a cup.

Williams says after more than a decade operating a commercial printing business, the switch to a company designed to reduce waste is heartening.

"To us it’s exciting, as with every sale we get, we’re not just making money. Somebody is partnering with us," she says.

Less than a year on from launching the company, it's turning over more than $200,000.

Sustainability becomes 'a fad'

For the first-movers in Australia's eco-coffee space, tracking consumers' budding concerns about waste has been a fascinating process.

"Sustainability has almost become a fad — that’s not necessarily a bad thing," says founder of Melbourne's Crema Joe, Kayla Mossuto.

"We have found and we can see a lot of business-minded people jumping on board and capitalising on this wave. If that's contributing to reducing waste, that's the most important thing, really."

Mossuto and her husband founded Crema Joe around five years ago and were also inspired by their own at-home coffee making experiences.

Crema Joe doesn't produce its own pods, instead it operates an online store is licenced to sell global reusable capsule brands including Sealpod, Waycap and Bluecup.

As the company heads towards $1 million in revenue, Mossuto believes her community of customers avoid using 11.5 million disposable capsules a year by switching to reusable items.

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Mossuto says the growth has been "pretty substantial" off the back of a $10,000 personal investment used to kick off the business.

Even so, she's aware that as fashions and consumer trends change, she might need to review the business.

"We talk about not having our eggs all in one basket. With capsule machines, who knows how long they'll be around for. This is supporting our family and staff as well – it's important [the business] does well," she says.

At the moment, Crema Joe is focused on coming up with a reusable solution for as many pod machines on the market as possible. In the long-term, giving shoppers a convenient way to reduce their waste is the larger goal, Mossuto says.

"As far as customer loyalty goes, it’s always been the number one priority for us. We want to provide them with a long-term solution. It's important they have a good experience with us."

The company's calculator predicts that if you buy ground coffee at $20.00 for 250g, customers drinking three coffees a day can save more than $150 a year using a reusable pod in their machines compared with a disposable option.

Is there a worry the big machine manufacturers will decide to roll out their own reusable pods to go alongside single-use options?

"Not really. If there’s not that repeat purchase, it’s not worth it for that kind of company. Single use is where the profits are," Mossuto says.

Nespresso has been contacted for comment on the prevalence of multi-use pods in its machines.

In a warranty card for its products sold in Australia, it warns consumers 'any defect resulting from the usage of non genuine Nespresso capsules will not be covered' when making claims under the company's own warranty.

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Paris: Seven-time grand slam winner Venus Williams was knocked out in the first round on the opening day of the French Open on Sunday.

Williams succumbed to Elina Svitolina, who won 6-3, 6-3 in 73 minutes.

Williams, 38, had 34 unforced errors and lost seven break points to hand the ninth-seeded Ukrainian an easy victory.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Australian wildcard Alexei Popyrin overcame the challenge of Frenchman Ugo Humbert 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12-10), 6-3 in a match that lasted nearly three hours.

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Last year's semi-finalist Marco Cecchinato of Italy was knocked out 2-6, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 by French wildcard Nicolas Mahut.

In a match that lasted three hours and 18 minutes, Mahut had 56 winners and won 47 points at the net to beat the 16th seed who is ranked more than 230 places above him.

Womens' second seed Karolina Pliskova eased past American Madison Brengle 6-2, 6-3. Slovak qualifier Kristina Kucova reached the second round for the first time with a 6-4, 6-2 win over former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Although Kuznetsova hit 24 winners to Kucova's 18, the Russian made 25 unforced errors to bow out in the opening round.

Mens' third seed Roger Federer was in control throughout his contest with Italy's Lorenzo Sonego, winning 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 on his return to Roland Garros.

The 37-year-old Swiss legend was never really troubled by the Italian, who playing in the main draw for the first time.

Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas's style, and his calm, have already drawn comparisons with 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer, yet the Greek sensation may in fact have more in common with claycourt master Rafa Nadal.

The sixth seed reached the second round of the French Open on Sunday with a no-nonsense 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory against German Maximilian Marterer, with few fans to witness the feat as most of the crowd were grabbing lunch in the revamped Roland Garros before Federer made his return on the new court Philippe Chatrier.

Those who skipped the match missed Tsitsipas's ease on the red dirt.

"Learning tennis on clay is very good for your body, for your development. It's a way to learn how to slide, basically learn the basics of tennis," the 20-year-old told reporters.

"Then you can move to hard [courts]. That's my personal opinion. I probably practised… I don't know, I might be wrong… but I practised since the age of six up to the age of 14 on clay.

"Probably more than Rafa," he added with a laugh.

Tsitsipas made a name for himself by beating 11-time French Open champion Rafa Nadal in the Madrid Open semi-finals earlier this month before losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.

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The result boosted his confidence ahead of Roland Garros, one of his favourite tournaments – only Wimbledon trumps the Parisian event for him, but the surface is not the reason.

"I like Roland Garros because it's the only Grand Slam on clay, I grew up playing on clay. I love the crowd. They are very respectful," he explained.

"Well, obviously they're going to support the French guys if I play the French guys. The clay makes it very special. And also, I would say that after Wimbledon, Roland Garros is probably one of my favourites.

"My dream is to win it one day because of the history and because of the tradition."

Next up for Tsitsipas is Bolivian Hugo Dellien, with Federer a potential opponent in the quarter-finals.

Reuters, AP

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Unlike many of my peers, I didn't have to beg my mother to have my ears pierced.

At the tender age of five, I was taken one Friday night to the local shopping centre, whereupon two nice ladies at the chemist kindly performed the "double gun" approach on my kindy-aged earlobes.

At 12, I decided it was time for a second go and, once again, mum was unperturbed. Contrast this to some of my friends who had to beg, bargain or bribe their parents, or, in an even riskier move, don't ask permission and just apologise later, hoping their parents didn't make them remove the "safety" studs they make you wear for the first six weeks.

Ask around and many women (and a few men) will have a story about how they got their ears pierced, as well as some graphic recollections of their first ear piercing infection (supposedly getting them done with a needle was considered safer in this regard but also way more scary/badass).

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Of course, there are many women, including some of my friends, for whom getting their ears pierced was never a rite of passage. Either they weren't keen or their parents were so strict they never bothered asking. "When you're 18," was so common a cry in the kitchens of some of my friends that many of them came of age and just never bothered (although some of those same friends wasted no time running to get their first tattoo. Different strokes, I guess).

The good news off the back of last week's Fashion Week Australia, as well as overseas catwalks is that not having your ears pierced is no barrier to rocking some fine ear bling, such is the trend for ear cuffs this summer. Already we are seeing them on the red carpet: Taylor Swift wore one to the Billboard Music Awards; and model Anja Rubik sported one less than a week ago in Cannes.

Jeanette Maree, who worked on the Thurley runway, says although those designs were more intended as show pieces for the runway, ear cuffs are becoming popular with bridesmaids.

From delicate fine hoops to intricate floral pieces, there is a cuff for all tastes and budgets. But despite its size relative to the rest of your outfit, it is a trend that takes a little styling, and a lot of confidence, to rock.

So, how do you do it? Jackie Damelian, creative director of Jackie Mack Designs, says it's all about balance.

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"Small earlobes look best with fewer pieces of jewellery," she says. "Larger earlobes can get away with more than two pieces."

To achieve a subtle, cohesive look, Damelian suggests a "huggie" with a dangling piece, followed by a flat stud, and a touch of sparkle with a dainty ear cuff.

Hair styling is particularly important when choosing an ear cuff as there's no point in wearing one if no one can see it, right?

Damelian likes how The Voice's Kelly Rowland has styled her hair with many piercings by creating a hairstyle that frames the face. "Create volume and sweep hair to one side," she says.

Get the look

Make an ear cuff pop with a subtle high neck or a sexy blazer.

Stockists

Camilla and Marc: camillaandmarc.com

MATCHESFASHION.COM: matchesfashion.com

Cue: cue.cc

Luxe Deluxe: luxe-deluxe.com

Jackie Mack Designs: jackiemackdesigns.com

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Brad Fittler will wait until early in camp before outlining a plan for Tyson Frizell's return to the training paddock as a heavy concussion for the Dragons enforcer added one final dramatic twist to his nightmare State of Origin selection.

Fittler pinned his faith in embattled halfback Nathan Cleary to lead the Blues at Suncorp Stadium after naming five rookies for the series opener next month.

Fittler had already lost halves certainty Luke Keary to concussion only 48 hours earlier and dashed to the St George Illawarra sheds at half-time of their 22-9 loss to the Sharks at WIN Stadium on Sunday after Frizell was involved in a sickening head clash with ex-teammate Josh Dugan.

"I went down and talked to Friz at half-time and he wanted to go back on," Fittler said. "He had that silly smile on his face and I didn’t know if he was talking to me. I think he’s OK. We’ll just follow protocol and I’m not sure when he can train. But we’ll work that out [at the start of the week]."

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It was just another blow for Fittler after a horror injury weekend as he lost a slew of halves contenders fell by the wayside.

Cody Walker will partner Cleary in the halves while Nick Cotric, Payne Haas, Jack Wighton and Cameron Murray will all make their NSW debuts – just a year after Fittler blooded a record 11 players in the opening game of last year's series.

Mitchell Pearce (groin) and Adam Reynolds (leg) were injured during the weekend's round and Fittler acknowledged Reynolds' leg problem on Saturday night finally tipped the halfback scales in Cleary's favour.

Reynolds was cleared of a lower leg fracture on Sunday.

"I wanted to pick Nathan – I wanted to pick all the team from last year – it doesn’t seem to be the case," Fittler said. "It was hard not to look at the Souths combination how well they’ve been playing.

"Nathan, what he did on Thursday night, was an awesome effort considering what they’re going through. I think Nathan’s game’s sometimes easier to play because it’s all based on effort. He just tries so hard.

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"Sometimes it gets a bit complicated out there and it has at different times as the team is not working together every well …. but the backbone of him is chasing every kick, making every tackle and just trying to do what he can. That can’t be said about every player. He’s quite rare being like that.

"Any chance I get to pick him in a footy team I’m very glad."

The 21-year-old has been far from his best this season for the struggling Panthers, but produced a man of the match display in Penrith's turgid win over the Eels last Thursday night. It was just Penrith's third win of the season.

The host of 11th hour withdrawals weren't enough for Cleary's halves partner James Maloney to preserve his place, falling down the pecking order behind Keary and Walker.

Maloney, James Roberts, Tariq Sims and Tyrone Peachey were all axed from the side that played for the Blues in game three last year.

Jack de Belin is unavailable after being sidelined under the NRL's no-fault stand-down rule as he faces an aggravated sexual assault charge. He has pleaded not guilty.

Fittler's stress-free build-up to last year's series hasn't been replicated in 2019 with a host of incumbents struggling for form before a nightmare weekend on the injury front which ended with the Frizell scare.

"We definitely have to win the series," Fittler said. "We’ve got a lot of ground to catch up so anything other than a win will be failure."

Sharks veteran Josh Morris, 32, earned a recall after last playing Origin in 2016 and will man the right centre spot alongside Cotric, who will play on the right flank.

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Broncos teenager Haas, 19, will train throughout the entire NSW cap during Ramadan, the annual Muslim observance of fasting during daylight hours. It will finish just a day before game one.

NSW team for Origin I

1 James Tedesco (Roosters)

2 Josh Addo-Carr (Storm)

3 Latrell Mitchell (Roosters)

4 Josh Morris (Sharks)

5 Nick Cotric (Raiders)

6 Cody Walker (Rabbitohs)

7 Nathan Cleary (Panthers)

8 David Klemmer (Knights)

9 Damien Cook (Rabbitohs)

10 Paul Vaughan (Dragons)

11 Boyd Cordner (Roosters)

12 Tyson Frizell (Dragons)

13 Jake Trbojevic (Sea Eagles)

14 Jack Wighton (Raiders)

15 Payne Haas (Broncos)

16 Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs)

17 Angus Crichton (Roosters)