After a back injury ended his 2007 season and related thigh complaints hampered his 2008 pre-season, the 23-year-old was facing another year of hurdles.
But with the assistance of club doctors and an investment of cash, the ruckman is feeling fit and ready to go.
"The body is feeling pretty good," Minson said. "We've spent a lot of money on it, that's for sure.
"A couple of hundred bucks on it each week makes you feel pretty good."
His return to fitness has enabled Minson to take on the new role coach Rodney Eade had earmarked for him; the arrival of former Adelaide ruckman Ben Hudson freeing Minson up for responsibilities in attack.
"I'm enjoying [my new role as a forward], although there are lots of different meanings to it," Minson said.
"You enjoy it at times and at other times, it can be quite disastrous. At the moment, as long as I get better each week, I've been enjoying it."
However, Minson is happier alternating between the two roles, and believes he needs to maintain his rucking ability so he can shift positions effectively.
"I think in the pre-season when we had two ruckmen and myself, I was spending all my time up forward, but that was different come round one when we didn't have the two and I was having to do both ruck and forward line stuff," he said.
"It's different and I can't forget that I'm probably a better ruckman than I am a forward at the moment, and if I'm not playing too well in the forward line I need to be able to play well in the ruck.
"It's important to have both."
Minson was drafted in 2002 and has played 45 senior games, with some extensive injuries and related form issues preventing him from notching up more.
However, the South Australian won't subscribe to the notion that he's playing to save his career, stating that, "unless you're Brad Johnson, every year is a make-or-break.
"I think football is quite a long journey," he added.
"It's my sixth year at the football club and they often say the bigger people are, the longer they take to develop.
"I always fought that, I never liked that and I didn't necessarily agree with it.
"I think last year was probably the first year I really took on that and really understood what they meant by that, because you can come to the club and be big and strong and fast and agile, but you can very quickly get overshadowed by poor skills and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"That's what takes the longest time to learn and getting used to getting belted every week - there's no more of a physical position than in the ruck - and half the challenge is to get your body right and be in tip top shape for the weekend.
"I think that's what age does. You get used to that and you get better at that, and I just hope now I'm getting to the right places at the right times more often."
Away from the field, Minson's life is about to get quite exciting with his girlfriend - track star Madeleine Pape - having won Olympic selection to represent Australia in the 800 metres in Beijing.
"It will be very exciting," he said. "I can't wait to see her compete in Beijing, it will be extraordinary.
"She's going to Europe in a couple of months to compete in the European summer, and hopefully she runs well there and gets to Beijing and does likewise.
"It's a very exciting time for Madeleine."
