Stephen "Steve" Malaxos is a former
Australian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er and coach from
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. While playing for
ClaremontThe Claremont Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . Its official colours are navy blue and gold....
in the
WAFLThe West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
, he won the 1984
Sandover MedalThe Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League...
. Malaxos was an
All-AustralianThe All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
with Claremont in 1986 and while he was with the
West Coast EaglesThe West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
in 1988. He was the inaugural fairest and best player at West Coast (1987), holds the Eagles' record for the most possessions in a game (48) and captained the club in 1990.
Malaxos is now head coach at
East FremantleThe East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
, after successfully coaching the colts team to a premiership in 2010 . In 2005, he was inducted into the Western Australian Football Hall of Fame.
He began his senior career as a forward in 1979, with Claremont—at the time a strong club in a strong competition, before the era of the
Australian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. Malaxos was a 1981 premiership player with the Tigers, and won the club trophy in both 1983 and 1984. He was
Western Australian Sports Star of the YearThe Western Australian Sports Star of the Year, currently known as The West Australian ANZ Sports Star of the Year, is an annual award for Western Australian sportspeople. It has been running since 1956.-List of winners by year:...
in 1984, after winning the Sandover.
In 1985, Malaxos was recruited by Hawthorn in the VFL. He went to Glenferrie Oval as the all-Australian captain, but struggled for an opportunity in the powerful Hawks line-up. Malaxos was a Reserves and night premiership player with the Hawks but returned to Claremont at the end of the season after playing only nine senior games.
At the end of the 1986 season, West Coast, due to enter the competition at the start of the 1987 season added him to their inaugural list. The Eagles were required to pay the Hawks a $35,000 clearance fee.
In Malaxos's inaugural season at West Coast he played 21 games; in round 22, against
EssendonThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, he collected his record of 48 possessions.
In 1990, Malaxos played 20 games during the home-and-away season, including the club's historic drawn qualifying final against
CollingwoodThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, and the replay a week later. Despite being captain, Malaxos was dropped for the remaining finals matches, and replaced as captain by John Worsfold. He did not add to his total of 66 games for West Coast, but was on the club's list for the 1991 season
During 1991, he played his 150th game with Claremont. In 1992, he transferred to
East FremantleThe East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
. He won three club fairest and best awards with the Sharks, and played in premiership sides in 1992 and 1994.
In 1999, Malaxos was appointed as coach of the
Sydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
reserves team in the AFL. In 2004, Malaxos was appointed to an assistant coach's position with Fremantle in the AFL, a position he left in 2009.
Malaxos was inducted into the Western Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Source
- Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.