JOEL Bowden's rushing of two behinds to run down the clock in Richmond's four-point win over Essendon on Saturday, was smart football by a smart footballer, Sydney coach Paul Roos said yesterday.

"If I was standing there as Terry Wallace, I would have been really pleased with the way he handled himself," Roos said.

Bowden wasted precious seconds by twice hanging on to the ball as long as possible and then walking the ball over the goal line for rushed Essendon behinds to prevent the Bombers getting one last chance at winning possession.

"We talk about leadership at footy clubs and about handling yourself under pressure. For a player to be able to think through a situation — they are the rules, he is not exploiting any rule, he is playing the game and trying to win the game of footy. I thought it was outstanding leadership, outstanding footy smarts by Joel Bowden," Roos said.

But rather than instruct defenders to follow suit, Roos said it would more likely inspire opposition coaches to teach players to infringe at the kick-in to give away a 50-metre penalty or a free kick up the field to ensure the ball was brought into play.

But Essendon's injured midfielder Mark McVeigh took exception to the time-soaking tactics and suggested that the introduction of three-point rushed behinds into the AFL premiership season would be timely.

"That was really frustrating because with the rule that we have in the pre-season the three-point rule may be looked at," McVeigh told the Seven Network.

"I don't agree with that (Bowden's tactics), that you can just keep running the ball through. You've got to get the ball back into play. It was disappointing and frustrating, as a supporter and as a player, to watch."

Teammate Scott Lucas was also frustrated by the stalling, but credited his opponent for smart play.

"It was frustrating for us but smart play by Joel Bowden," Lucas told the Nine Network.

With AAP