The Tigers head into 2019 in the midst of the longest NRL finals drought of any club, having not made the top eight since 2011.

And a tough-talking Mbye said the joint venture had set the bar too low in recent years, something which would change under his watch.

He said not only should they be aiming to return to the finals, they should be talking about themselves as top-four contenders.

"We're under pressure every week - we want to perform," Mbye said.

"As far as finals go, I think it's mediocre. Our club has just been bogged down in just getting to finals. We really want to be one, two, three or four. We really want to be up there.

"That's our goal - we want to get deep into the finals. We don't just want to make the finals.

"We've set some high standards for ourselves; we're driving a strong culture, strong standards. We're going to hold each other accountable."

Mbye said new coach Michael Maguire had been instrumental in driving change and had inspired the playing group by getting involved in their training sessions and sweating it out alongside his troops.

Maguire, a noted hard taskmaster, was axed from South Sydney amid suggestions he pushed the squad too far and had lost the dressing room.

But Mbye said he and his teammates had found it easy to buy into Maguire's message and tough training regime.

"He's a pretty fit bloke. He trains hard; he rips in in the gym; you see him out there on the field ripping in," Mbye said.

"Quality leaders lead by example. There's no better way than jumping in and being out there on those hot days sweating it out with the boys.

"How can you let a guy down when he's put so much work into it?"

Australian Associated Press