Originally from Auckland, Makalio started playing rugby at the age of 15 while attending Onehunga High School. He made his way through the Auckland club rugby scene and was named man of the match as his side, Grammar TEC lifted the Gallaher Shield in 2015. Unable to crack the AucklandMitre 10 Cup team, he headed south to play for Marlborough based side Harlequins in 2016.
Senior career
Makalio's move south proved to be a fruitful one as after just one season in Marlborough club rugby, he was chosen to replace the departing Quentin MacDonald in the Tasman Mako squad for the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup. He instantly established himself as the first choice in the number 2 jersey, making 11 appearances, 10 of them from the start and scoring 2 tries as the Mako finished as Premiership runners up in 2016.[3] He was part of the Tasman team that won the Mitre 10 Cup in 2019 for the first time. Makalio was selected in the South Island squad for the North vs South rugby union match in 2020 but did not play. In Round 9 of the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup Makalio played his 50th game for the Mako against Canterbury. The Mako went on to win their second premiership title in a row. Makalio played only 6 games for Tasman during the 2021 Bunnings NPC due to injury as the Mako made the final before losing 23–20 to Waikato.
