Carlton coach Denis Pagan confirmed on Wednesday that the Blues board intervened to prevent him drafting former Essendon and Richmond player Ty Zantuck.

Carlton instead opted for discarded Collingwood ruckman Cameron Cloke with its second and final pick in Tuesday's pre-season draft.

The Blues had committed to ex-St Kilda ruckman Cain Ackland with their first pick.

"I was very keen to add Ty to our list," Pagan told SEN radio.

"I thought he could have been a real advantage for our younger players with his robust style of play, but I was told that it wasn't appropriate."

Zantuck, who had trained with the Blues, told The Age newspaper that "there was a lot of people in the football department that wanted me."

But he suggested it was his reputation for poor off-field behaviour that caused the board to demand Pagan opt for Cloke instead.

"From what I can glean, they had it in for me pretty bad, I think," he said.

"I can see where they're coming from, but they didn't even, you know, have a talk to me about it."

The latest disagreement between Pagan and the board continues an uneasy relationship.

The coach had shown interest in ex-West Coast ruckman Michael Gardiner, now with St Kilda, before Carlton president Graham Smorgon publicly declared he did not fit with the club's youth policy.

That followed Pagan's near-sacking in September, when only a late change of heart by some board members kept him in the job.