John was a promising school boy athlete winning state and national junior beach sprint championships with Terrigal SLSC.
John attended St Gregory's College Campbelltown excelling on the athletics track and being named Man of the Match in the Commonwealth Bank Cup 1989 Grand Final winning team.
In 1989 John represented NSW Schools against the touring U19 British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA).
In 1996, Minto joined the London Broncos and played one season with them in the Super League before returning to Australia.
In 2001, Minto played for Souths when the club was excluded from the NRL competition and were seeking readmission back to the league.