Mick Malthouse has fought off armed intruders with a piece of exercise equipment during a home invasion at his Melbourne property.

The 72-year-old three-time premiership-winning coach was at home with wife Nanette when he confronted three men at his East Melbourne unit early on Thursday.

Malthouse said he squared up to the trio as they attempted to break in, with one of the men trying to stab him with a screwdriver.

He tried to stab me in the chest, so I’ve got a mark on my chest and they whacked my arm a couple of times.

The former Western Bulldogs, West Coast, Collingwood and Carlton coach suffered minor injuries in the struggle, but declined medical attention from paramedics after being struck.

Police say Malthouse chased down the alleged offenders to a nearby laneway before they ran away.

“Officers were called to the property following reports of a group of men trying to gain access at about 12.30am,” a police statement said.

“A resident of the property chased the offenders to a nearby laneway where he was assaulted. The offenders fled on foot.”

Malthouse coached 718 games across stints with his four clubs, winning premierships in 1992 and 1994 with West Coast, and one in 2010 with Collingwood.

Malthouse said he fended off the intruders using an old exercise bar which he kept next to his bed for security and that the men were armed with a crowbar and a screwdriver.

“There were three blokes on the other side (of our door) with a bit of weaponry,” he told the Herald Sun.

“I was able to get through and force them down the stairs with a little bit of interest on the way down.

“There was a fair bit of action. One tried to jab me (with the screwdriver) and only partially succeeded.

“He tried to stab me in the chest, so I’ve got a mark on my chest and they whacked my arm a couple of times.”

Seemingly unfazed by the attack, Malthouse joked how the exercise bar was something he had used during his playing days half a century ago.

“It was only something that I used for football 50 years ago, it’s amazing how things come in handy,” he said.

“It’s just a little bar that you use to try and strengthen your arms for tackling, so it come in handy.

“I got them out the back door and managed to wrestle the crowbar off them.”

He said his wife was still very shaken by the ordeal.

“Nanette is doing it pretty hard, it’s taken its toll,” he told News Corp.

“I’m OK, I’m just angry that I wasn’t able to do a bit more actually.”

“Even if we caught them, they’d be out in 10 minutes. Clearly we’ve got laws that are for the perpetrators but not the victims.”

The home invasion comes as Victoria grapples with a rising crime rate which Malthouse has now experienced first hand.

“I think people are just sick to death of it,” he said.

“The police were fantastic, they were here pretty quickly.

“We shouldn’t be subjected to this but it just seems to be more and more, unfortunately.

“Police are under more and more pressure and we seem to have laws, in my mind, do not satisfy the public, under any circumstances.”