The eldest of seven children, Malakellis was born in Walgett in 1968 and grew up in Portarlington[citation needed] before his family moved to Geelong, where his parents ran a fish and chips shop.
[1] Malakellis attended Geelong High School, where he and his brother learned to play football, and then studied civil engineering at RMIT University.
However, during the summer training period, Malakellis was restricted by a knee injury and was not included in Geelong's final squad list for 1989.
[1] He was subsequently redrafted after his performance in a practice match convinced the selectors and coaches that his knee could cope, and was given the guernsey number 12, which he would wear for his whole career with Geelong.
[4] After finishing with Geelong, Malakellis spent three seasons playing with Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL commencing in the 1995 premiership winning side with his brother Tony.