Dall'Alba notes that we have no shortage of competitors', and 'we should not take the current high rating of our Australian cotton for granted'. Rather 'we need to continue improving our Australian cotton while not sacrificing yield' in the belief that 'superior products create their own markets'. Adopting this sentiment this paper will (a) explore the key fibre quality attributes that relate to the 25c/lb market gap or barrier between where Australian cotton is currently positioned and 'Extra Long Staple' cotton and (b) describe technical opportunities CSIRO has been investigating to 'capture' some of this gap for Australian cotton.