Sherlock picked up a severe groin injury while playing for his club in the autumn of 2004 and the recovery proved to be more complicated than was anticipated. He underwent surgery in March 2005 and was back in contention for a place on the Cork starting fifteen for the championship, however, Pat Mulcahy was now the first-choice right corner-back. In spite of this, Sherlock won his fourth Munster Championship medal on 26 June 2005 after coming on as a substitute in Cork's 1-21 to 1-16 defeat of Tipperary in the final. On 11 September 2005, Cork faced Galway in the All-Ireland final for the first time since 1990, however, Sherlock started the game as a substitute. Sherlock later said: "I was actually told to warm up and that I was coming on by one of the selectors. I spent 10 minutes warming up but nothing came out of it. I was like a fucking eejit running up and down the line. It really annoyed me because I had come on in the Munster final and the All-Ireland semi-final, so obviously I’d love to have played in another final. I was delighted ultimately because we won another All-Ireland, but not to get on — especially after being told to get ready — was a bit of a kick in the balls." In spite of not lining out, he won a third All-Ireland medal as a non-playing substitute after the 1-21 to 1-16 victory.