With her allegations and lying, the St. Kilda schoolgirl has been in the headlines for the past weeks. A prominent Aussie journalist wonders: is this a steaming sports scandal or a huge cry for help?

David Penberthy, a journalist for the Daily Telegraph Australia, says the recent statements of Duthie are more than a cry for help rather than an interesting story. He believes the teen has an attention-seeking disorder and should be given the appropriate help and guidance. The 17-year-old caused a stir back in February when she presented videos, photos and messages to the AFL, saying she has been having a sexual relationship with Ricky Nixon. Ricky Nixon is a high profile manager from The Saints who has been photographed without his pants on the edge of Duthie's hotel room bed. Just last week, Duthie took back all her prior statements, saying everything she said about the affair were "lies".

"It's a bizarre, free-wheeling circus all right, but it's not an amusing story about sex, sport and scandal. It's a story about two things only: child protection and mental illness", says Penberthy in his column. According to the journalist, Duthie's appearance on television especially in the segment where she was caught telling lies again, is an obvious display of a mental and emotional disorder. Duthie reportedly has a "difficult" relationship with her parents and was recently caught lashing out on a stranger who attacked her with Ricky Nixon remarks.Another angle Penberthy discussed was the voluntary involvement of TV personality Sam Newman to provide religious assistance to the troubled schoolgirl, saying it's "the problem with (the) entire story".

Penberthy stresses the dire need to keep the teen in proper guidance, saying "Someone should look after this girl, tell her to lie low, pull her head in, shut her mouth and sort herself out". Being on the center of Aussie headlines does no help for the schoolgirl who should be under professional aid, "rather than treating her like the gift that keeps on giving as the headlines become stupider" says Penberthy in his article.