Apr 20th, 2018

Apr 20th, 2018

St George Illawarra centre Euan Aitken has been rocked by the news of his grandmother’s passing on the eve of his side’s clash with the New Zealand Warriors.

Aitken has pledged to keep his late grandmother’s memory in his heart as the Dragons continue to charge through the season.

“I’m playing the rest of this season for my late grandmother,” Aitken wrote in his Players Voice article.

“All my efforts for the Dragons will be dedicated to her memory.”

(AAP) Photo: AAP

Aitken’s grandmother, Regina Meinhold – or Oma as she was affectionately called - was 97 years old.

According to Aitken’s piece, Meinhold travelled to Australia following the Second World War and met her future husband, Andrew Aitken, at a party in Canberra.

While she lived until her late nineties, Meinhold was lucky to make it out to Australia at all.

“She was working in a secretatrial-type role in the German town of Heilbronn when it was bombed towards the end of the year,” Aitken wrote.

“One day she had left to go home by train and, 15 minutes later, the bombs hit.”

Despite his moving message, Aitken regretted the fact that he was unable to say goodbye to his grandmother properly.

“I’d started making plans to drive down to Canberra on Sunday to see her in hospital,” he wrote.

“But that wasn’t to be and I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve for Oma now.”

(AAP) Photo: AAP

The Dragons have been the hottest side in the NRL in the first six rounds, boasting a point-differential of +114, and Aitken touched on the secrets to his team’s success.

“None of it could happen without the enormous self-belief and confidence we have within the group,” he wrote.

“I believe that is only possible because we get along so well.”